The Girl and the Tesseract Machine
by FossilQueen1984
Summary: Tintin is reunited with a childhood friend, Helene. She holds the key to a strange device that could either save the world, or bring ruin. Slight crossover with Torchwood. Movie Universe. Please review!
1. Chapter 1: In Media Res

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Hey again, fellow readers! I am taking a break from my Star Wars crossovers stories to break into a new fandom, the Adventures of Tintin. Having grown up watching the cartoons in the early 1990's, imagine my surprise when I started reading fan fiction. I am disappointed with the lack of stories where Tintin gets the girl, there are a few good stories, _The Lungo Drom_ and its sequel, _Two_ are the best I have read thus far. I was also inspired after watching Doctor Who and Torchwood. This said, this story is a partial crossover with Torchwood as several characters (in our universe) are/were members of Torchwood Europa- Torchwood's mainland division, as are two characters in the Tintin universe. Also, Dalek Sec from Doctor Who and Death from the Sandman Saga make appearances. Enjoy!

I don't own anybody or anything mentioned, except for Hélène and her mother Rosamund. Hélène resembles Lady Cybil from Downtown Abbey.

Suggested Soundtrack: Doctor Who Theme, Night time Coming- Spirited Away, Princess Leia's theme

Chapter 1: In Media Res

In retrospect, investigating the building outside Brussels's industry belt was a bad idea. Nineteen year old Helene Dupont Slid of her helmet, and began to look around. Passing motorists shook their heads as they caught a blur of someone scampering over a rusty fence. In fact, she was the only person there. As a cartographer for Torchwood Europa, she had heard stories from Uncle Hergè and Mother about aliens, Time Lords, and Jack Harkness's insane stag parties. Glancing around the creaking ruins of cement and steel, she could hear the faint drip of water and her own heartbeat.

"Honestly, I'm not a child anymore, what would Augustin say," she chided herself. Ambling about, she reflected on the memory. When she had been a little girl, about five or six, she and her mother had been stationed in Russia. While there, she couldn't remember exactly, she met a little boy, Augustin Berlioz. His parents had been their on business, and they had met in the hotel lobby while their parents had gossiped. He had been a bit older than she was, with copper hair and light blue eyes. He had not been too thrilled to spend the evening with a girl, but by evening's end, they had become friends, mostly over discussing football, reporting and world travel. The rest of her time is Moscow had been a blur. What she could remember was this: she and Tintin (that was the nickname she had given him) were exploring a cave, when they stumbled across a rusty supercomputer hooked up to an elaborate door in the cave wall. Tintin had activated it, and the first person through was… an alien! He had ordered the alien to stay where he was, but Dalek Sec was in no mood for playing. He scolded them both for wandering off. When they got back to the hotel, Mother was getting ready to leave and Hélène had to say good bye quickly. Before leaving, Tintin handed her a package before kissing her on the cheek.

During the drive back to Ghent, Hélène opened her gift. It was necklace, laden with amber and rose sapphires. It was Freya's necklace, and Sec explained that in Russian society, men gave jewelry to the woman they were going to marry. She had squealed in laughter, Tintin was her friend. Then, she remembered the world quaking and crying out. In the car accident, she lost her sight in her left eye and wore an eye patch. That was the day her mother resigned from Torchwood, and she never saw Tintin again.

Breaking out of her thoughts, she commented, "Nobody's been here since 1943. Still though, with Russia and America at each other's throats, maybe Torchwood should move." Not only was Torchwood being investigated by NATO for possible technology, any supernatural activity had switched over to England. Just as well, Helene thought, her mother never let her go on any missions. Groping a door to get it, the latch gave way and she fell into the stairwell.

"Vashta Nerada, I know better than that. Oh well, down I go," she mused. Cobwebs the size of army tanks sat listlessly in the milky light overhead. Passing by a dulled mirror, Helene caught sight of herself. A small, slender thing with dark hair curled into a simple ponytail, porcelain skin, and large brown eyes, one covered by an eye patch. Frowning, she turned away. She wasn't pretty in the least, not like her mother. She considered herself rather plain, and wearing an eye patch didn't help matters. She remained aloof and outgoing to mask her broken heart and pain. At the very least, she was a kind hearted girl with a taste for exploration.

Making her way down towards the bottom floor, her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Covered in decades of dust and trash was a machine! "It can't be, can it? It's just like the one in Russia…" she reasoned. She knew what they were now, the machine here and the one she and Tintin had found was called a Tesseract machine. She smiled at the memory of Sec trying to explain to the 7 year old Belgian he was not a Martian, he was a Dalek! Wondering if it still worked, she started typing on the key board and pushing buttons.

An ear-splitting screech echoed throughout the area as the machine sputtered to life. A series of lasers engulfed the excited and somewhat confused young woman, before the floor split asunder and swallowed her whole!

Unlike Alice falling through the rabbit hole, Hélène was surrounded by warmth and light. Soon, she thought she heard voices, traffic, and people. A gust of fresh air whipped around her as she fell from the sky. From below her, she heard the barking of a dog, and an angry voice shouting, "Come back here!"

Landing with a sharp thud, Hélène landed between a white fox terrier and a large man wielding a butcher knife. "Eek! Excuse me sir, but is the knife really necessary," she inquired softly. The man blinked, where had the girl with the eye patch come from? He waved the knife in her face as she scooped up the dog. Surprised she wasn't flinching, he explained, "Your rotten mongrel ate one of sausages, fraulein. You owe me 3 pounds." Reaching into her satchel, she produced the payment. Still fuming, he roughly grabbed Hélène by her free arm and began dragging her towards the center of the open air market.

"Where on Earth are you taking me? I paid you back," Hélène protested as she struggled to worm her way out of his grip. The man grunted something about payback, when Snowy jumped out of Hélène's arms and darted off towards its owner. Finally free, she began to run away when the butcher began to give chase. Groaning in disgust, she lost him in a crowd near the antiques. As she rounded a corner, Snowy began barking happily. She smiled, "Hi there- lost him I see. Good thing too, he seemed a little to eager for payback. Is your owner here somewhere?" The excited dog barked as he scampered off.

A worried, clipped male voice called out into the area, "Snowy, where are you? Blast, where did get off to know? There you are." Tintin let out a sigh of relief as he scooped up the dog. Snowy whimpered, indicating he had found something. Praying it wasn't a cat or cut of meat, Tintin walked around a bench when Snowy leapt onto it. Sitting on the one opposite it, was a slim, pretty girl. Smiling when she saw Snowy, she laughed, "Your back… Your owner… is Augustin?"

Blushing profusely, she strolled over to the confused journalist. "Thank you so much for finding Snowy; he has a tendency to get lost…Are you alright?" She slowly nodded, when it dawned on him that he knew this girl very well. Laughing he embraced her.

"Hélène, is it really you? It's wonderful to see you again. You're just as beautiful as when we first met," he smiled softly as he stroked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled, "Stop please, I'm not beautiful at all, I'm just…" Offering her his arm, they walked towards the nearest pub to catch up.


	2. Chapter 2: Lovers and Friends

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, except Hélène. All characters mentioned belong to George Hermè, Steven Spielberg, BBC and Twentieth Century Fox. Here is chapter 2!

Suggested soundtrack: Arriety's Song- The Secret World of Arrietty, Trains and Winter Rains- Enya, Overture/Ice Dance- Edward Scissorhands

Chapter 2: Lovers and Friends

Tintin and Hélène made their way towards a nearby pub, where Tintin ordered a share of mules and frites. As Snowy munched on leftover roasted chicken from previous customers, Tintin gently took Hélène's hands into his own. Smiling softly, she commented, "It's been so long, Augustin, I never stopped thinking about you. I wanted to travel the world, and over the summer holidays, Mother and I went abroad. But, I think she missed Belgium too much because she would cry every time we came to port. Still though, I am happy to be back."

Tintin nodded, "It has been far too long, Hélène. I have traveled quite a bit myself; you inspired me to become a reporter. How did you wind up here?" She shrugged and explained how she stumbled across another Tesseract machine. He nodded seriously and asked if she thought there was any sort of connection between the Tesseract machines and the car accident. Hélène replied she wasn't sure, but she was investigating nonetheless.

"Are you staying somewhere here in town," he inquired as Hélène paid the bill. She shook her head, "I haven't gotten there yet. The trip was so sudden, and that mad butcher startled me a bit." She then explained what had happened. Tintin stroked her hands softly, "No doubt he'll bother you again. You can stay with me; I have a guest room you can use."

Hélène stammered, "No, that's all right Augustin. I'm sure that I can stay in a youth hostel or something along those lines. I don't want to be a burden-" She was cut off when Tintin gave her lips a soft, sweet kiss. Standing up, he led Hélène to the pub's dance floor as the live band began to strike a melancholy tune. It was known as _Arriety's Song_, and Tintin led Hélène in a romantic waltz. More couples joined them on the dance floor, but the young lovers were oblivious to the people around them. Hélène snuggled into Tintin's warm embrace as they swayed to the music. Standing on her tiptoes, she whispered, "I love you, Augustin Berlioz." Dipping her into a passionate kiss, he stroked her hair and replied softly, "As do I, Hélène Dupont." After the song ended, they remained on the dance floor for the better part of the hour.

With the lunch crowd returning to work, Snowy ran ahead of the young lovers, now holding hands. Taking in the public art, they were unaware of the sounds of shouting when all of a sudden a youth barely out of primary school collided with a parked car. Two men in bowler hats and matching suits were waving their canes and calling out, "Hey you! Stop!" Turning around to see what all the commotion was about, they saw that the boy had lifted several wallets and had hidden them in her jacket pocket. With the wind knocked out of him, Tintin restrained the lad while Hélène questioned him.

"Bonjour, young man. What are you doing out here in town, do you have a school holiday? I see you have quite a few wallets with you, are you trying to help out at home," she asked gently. The boy had been sneering up until then then. The girl speaking to him was not too much older than his aunt. He shook his head, and replied that he was doing his job. "Well, aren't you supposed to be in school?" He frowned and shook his head.

At that moment, Thomson and Thompson reached the scene, and were quite surprised to see Tintin in the company of a lovely young woman speaking to their prime suspect. "All right, all right, we'll take it from here. Thank you Tintin, hello miss," Thompson greeted cheerfully as his comrade firmly took the boy by the arm.

"So, you thought you could escape, eh? Nobody escapes from Thomson and Thompson, not even you. Let's get you to the station, can't have you running around," Thomson babbled as the child unwillingly returned the purloined artifacts. "You can have 'em back, didn't need no damn purses anyway," the ragamuffin complained as a local police cab passed by. Once the delinquent was carried off, Thomson dusted off his hat, "Well that beats me, homeless children stealing from passersby. Oh hello, Tintin! Who is your lady friend?"

Hélène blushed as Tintin introduced her, "Thompson and Thomson, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Hélène Dupont." She curtseyed after shaking their hands, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Why were you chasing that lad a few minutes ago? I know he lifted those wallets, but is he really homeless?"

Thompson nodded and replied, "I'm afraid so, miss. The Brussels city government implemented a city wide program to send the homeless children to orphanages and boarding schools starting in 1909. Here it is in 1961, and we still have problems with transients. By the way, Thomson do you know what we were doing before we caught our thief?"

Thomson rolled his eyes in disgust; his partner could be so scatterbrained sometimes. "Don't you remember old bean? We were heading over to Marlinspike Hall. Apparently, somebody has been poaching game on Haddock's property. I say Tintin, would you and your lady friend care to join us? Miss Hélène seems like the type who enjoys a good adventure."

Hélène heartily agreed, and within the hour they were at the train station en route to the village of Marlinspike.

Author's note: Mules and frites are mussels and fries, a popular Belgian snack.


	3. Chapter 3: Professor Calculus, I presume

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, except Hélène. All characters mentioned belong to George Hermè, Steven Spielberg, BBC and Twentieth Century Fox. Here is chapter 3!

Suggested Soundtrack: Long, Long Journey-Enya, Solo and the Princess- John Williams, A Summer's Day- Spirited Away

Chapter 3: Professor Calculus, I presume?

As the train rolled across the Belgian countryside, Hélène would point out sights of interest to an interested Tintin. It was though she had traveled this way before, she admitted that she had not before a day in her life, but there was something familiar about it. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember something… anything at all. She groaned when she couldn't come up with anything. Tintin told her not to worry, if there was something to remember, the memory would reveal itself in time. Finally, the commuter train rolled to a stop as it reached the station.

Stepping off of the train, Hélène gasped. In her mind's eye, she caught sight of herself, as a little one hardly old enough to walk, toddling while holding her mother's hand. There was someone else there as well, but his face was shadowed. Shaking her head, she ran to catch up with the others. "Wait for me, here I am," she shouted above the din of arriving passengers. Tintin waved and as soon as they all exited, he asked quietly, "You remembered something?"

Laying her head on his shoulder while Thompson and Thomson telephoned Haddock's residence, she sighed, "When we were on the platform, I saw-at least I thought- myself as a toddler. Not old enough to have mastered walking on my own, I was holding my mother's hand. Someone else was holding my hand. I felt happy and loved, but I don't know who the man was."

Tintin nodded, "Well, at least it's a start, right? Let me help you, you helped me when we were children, I daresay Sec was less than keen on babysitting us that day." Reaching for the small of her back, he leaned in to give her a tender kiss. Their lips met, and soon Hélène was leaning into Tintin's tender embrace. The kiss became more heated and passionate before a lack of air forced them apart. Snowy barked at the couple, and they blushed. "Hello Snowy, feeling left out," Hélène asked stroking the dog's fur. Snowy wagged his tail and plopped down onto her lap.

The tranquil moment was interrupted when Thompson and Thomson ran back to the lovers, but their canes caught on one of the steps, sending them both flying into the shrubbery. Hélène cracked up while Tintin and Snowy managed to get their friends unstuck. "Thank you, Tintin. Really, Miss Hélène it wasn't that hilarious. Now then, Nestor is on his way and should be here in about five minutes."

"Who is Nestor," Hélène inquired as they waited. Tintin explained that Nestor was the valet and butler at Marlinspike Hall. He went on to tell Hélène about how roughly a year and a half earlier, he and Snowy had been trailing drug runners and wound up befriending Captain Archibald Haddock. As it turned out, Haddock's first mate had been one of the leaders of the drug runner's cartel, and during their travels both he and Tintin learned that Haddock's ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock had made off with the treasure of the feared pirate, Red Rackham. Along the way, they were introduced to the absent minded but well-meaning Professor Cuthbert Calculus. Tintin commented because of Calculus's submarine patent, Haddock had been able to buy back his ancestral home.

Hélène was enthralled, "That sounds so wonderful. I would love to go on an adventure." Tin stroked her hands, "I'm sure we will one of these days, darling." Snowy wagged his tail and barked in agreement, he liked Hélène a lot. Just then, a polished city car pulled into the driveway.

"Hallo! Hallo Nestor, we're over here," Thompson and Thomson called out while waving their canes about wildly. Nestor nodded and parked the car. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Hello again, Tintin. Hello there, miss? A friend of Tintin's," he inquired dryly as the climbed into the back seat. Hélène curtsied and smiled, "It's kind of you to pick us up, Nestor. I'm Hélène, and Tintin and I… well we are dating." Tintin blushed along with her as Nestor nodded approvingly.

As they drove along the road, Hélène began to remember more. Why was she remembering this all now? Tintin noticed she was tensing up, so he gently rubbed her shoulders while she curled up in his arms.

After entering the main gate, everyone was shown inside. Thompson and Thomson began to look around at the new artwork, while Hélène's eyes widened. Holding firmly on to Tintin, she began to wander around looking at the décor. "I have been here before! I just know it, why wouldn't Mother ever tell me about this?"

"She was worried you would want to come back. Sec and I knew you wanted to come back and find Augustin, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He was afraid you would follow Captain Jack Harkness on some damn insane crusade. My goodness, dear girl, you have become a lovely young woman," a kind, but wistful voice interrupted them. Standing no more than a foot from them was Cuthbert Calculus. Smiling, while wiping away her tears, Hélène asked, "Professor Calculus, I presume?"


	4. Chapter 4: Homecoming

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, except Hélène. All characters mentioned belong to George Hermè, Steven Spielberg, BBC and Twentieth Century Fox. Here is chapter 4, please read and review!

Suggested soundtrack: This is Home- Switchfoot, Force theme- John Williams

Chapter 4: Homecoming

Hélène embraced the older fellow, "Oh Professor, how I've missed you. You always showed the most interesting things when Mother was busy with work. But, does that mean you were a part of Torchwood? Oh, I'm so confused." Tintin helped her to her feet, while Thompson and Thomson asked in unison, "What in bloody hell is Torchwood, and what does this have to do with us?"

Calculus spun around on his heels and spoke sharply, "Hélène's mother was not a bus driver gentlemen. She was a scientist, and a brilliant one at that. Follow me to my laboratory please; it will be better to explain everything there." Waving his hands, he led the way waving his pendulum in front of his face. As they wandered along the gilded hallways, Hélène began to remember the many happy memories of her early years at Marlinspike Hall, learning how to walk in the parlor, piano lessons in the library, and the science lessons in the garden and kitchen. "I can't believe it, Augustin. I'm home, I'm actually home," she beamed. Tintin laughed and squeezed her fondly.

Thomson and Thompson found it rather hard to believe that Hélène had grown up, but they were more interested learning about what Torchwood was. Calculus' lab was situated near the greenhouse and once they were inside, he shut the door and began to explain.

"Let me start by saying how happy I am to see you again, Hélène. Last I saw you, you and your mother were headed off to the Soviet Union to investigate a resurgence of Cyberman attacks in the gulags. Torchwood Institute was founded by England's Queen Victoria to combat supernatural forces that were a threat to the British Empire. As it turned out, all of these experiences were extraterrestrials fooling around with who knows what. Prior to World War One, a European branch of Torchwood was set up in Brussels. At the time, I was a recent doctoral graduate investigating the sudden appearance of flying saucers over Ghent. I stumbled upon Captain Jack Harkness fighting off a squadron of cat like beings. Needless to say, this piqued my interest, so I signed up to join Torchwood Europa."

"Back then, very little about the aliens marauding around Benelux was known, so it was decided to from a team of specialists to fight them anyway we could. I was the technical expert, Dalek Sec was our communications guide, and your dear mother, Rosamund was our mechanic and linguist. The days were long back then; people accused us of mass hysteria and genocide. It really didn't help that Jack was chasing and bedding every person he was attracted to. After one difficult mission involving Ghent's high society, your mother was approached by a one Diedrich Sakarin."

"Sakarin? You mean the same man who wanted to buy the Unicorn from Augustin?"

"Yes Sakarin did try to buy the ship from your paramour, but was unsuccessful. As I was saying, young Sakarin was struck by your mother's beauty and intelligence. By the time the soiree was over, he was dead set on courting her. At the same time, Jack Harkness had run afoul of a hard drinking sea captain, and bribed him with interstellar vodka to work for Torchwood. Haddock took one look at Rosamund and signed up for the cause."

"Haddock and Sakarin both loved your mother, Hélène. They also despised each other. Sakarin thought Haddock was a low-life thug who didn't know a damn thing about proper society. Haddock thought Sakarin was a puffed-up fop who wouldn't know cannons from a hydrangea. Your mother cared for them both, but her heart belonged to Haddock. Enraged by this, Sakarin abducted your mother from headquarters and forced her into an arranged marriage. Your mother would not sit still for this, she came back here as quickly as possible, but as a member of Torchwood, Sakarin stayed with her. Some years passed in that loveless marriage, your mother throwing herself into her work, Sakarin reverse engineering the technology we had unearthed to bring himself great personal wealth. Things between him and your mother quickly went south when Rosamund announced she was pregnant."

"Sakarin, although he loved your mother dearly, refused to be part of Torchwood any longer, and he abandoned your mother outside the train station in Ghent on the stormiest night of the year. Well, Jack and I went to pick her up. She kept saying to us, 'I haven't even told him who the father is.' She never told us, and she never told Haddock either. Haddock was heartbroken when he heard this, so he stepped up to help raise you.

For those first six years, Marlinspike Hall was a safe haven for you. As an unwed mother from Belgium's upper echelons, Rosamund was greeted with a fair amount of pity, scorn and disgust. Haddock adored you, as did I. Sadly, Haddock marrying your mother was not meant to be. Your mother had been planning on moving to a parallel universe where we are fictional and ageless characters. He was dead set against it, saying you were better of here. You two left for Russia, and that was the end of it. After the car accident, Sec contacted me and George to smuggle you two across a wormhole before Sakarin claimed you as his ward. That is what happened."

Hélène let out a loud gasp, how was it that her mother had never told her? She asked if Torchwood still existed, and Calculus explained that it had disbanded shortly thereafter. Tintin rubbed his girlfriends' hands and said to himself, "Fancy that. What a waste."

Thompson and Thomson yawned, stretched and patted Calculus on the back, "Good job, old bean. Your quite the storyteller, had us half believing you."

"Billions of blistering blue barnacles, you don't believe the professor! I can assure you it's all true. Snakes, Rosamund was the brightest light in my miserable life for a long time," Haddock ranted from the stairwell. Tramping down the stairs, his sight fell on the lass with the eye patch leaning on Tintin's shoulder stroking Snowy's fur.

As she looked up at him curiously, he rubbed his eyes. "I'm seeing things, Hélène's still very small… dear, dear Hélène! You've come home!" Running to embrace his adopted daughter, Hélène laughed, "Hello again, Captain." Spinning her around his arms, he boasted, "Barnacles lassie, you've become quite the beauty. Tintin, come over here listen to me. Things between me and Hélène's mum didn't quite work out, but you two have known each other since you were children. Listen lad, take care of her for me. With her back, strange goings will be starting up again. I give you my blessing to marry her." He clasped their hands together, and Tintin and Hélène shared yet another sweet, tender kiss.


	5. Chapter 5: Ianto's Vendetta

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned, except Helene and her mother Rosamund. Big thanks to MissGuardianFairy for her lovely reviews. Yes, Helene and Tintin will get married towards the end of this fic, and they will start a family in the sequel I am working on. All other characters belong to George Reimi, Steven Spielberg, 20th Century Fox, BBC and BBC America, Russell T. Davies and Peter Jackson. I don't know the name of Tintin's landlady, so I am calling her Mrs. Saddler from Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series. I don't own that, either.

Suggested Soundtrack: Solo and the Princess- The Empire Strikes Back, Scherzo for Motorcycle and Trumpet- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Chapter 5: Ianto's Vendetta

After a fortnight of figuring out financial and other paperwork needed to remain in the parallel Belgium, Hélène signed on as Tintin's assistant as the insistence of his editor. Mrs. Saddler was quite taken with Augustin's lady friend, and somehow wormed her way into planning the upcoming nuptials, even though neither of the youngsters had a ring or a date. It was over the course of a dinner out that their investigation of the Tesseract machines and disintegrations of Torchwood Europa would come into focus. A spate of rainstorms in the area had forced a work dinner inside to one of the private dining rooms overlooking Brussel's Central Plaza. Hélène and Augustin found themselves sitting in a well-lit booth with another young couple a few years older than they were. Over a few lagers, Hélène inquired, "So Raquel, you were saying that you were overseas recently? I read your travelogue about a week ago, it was fascinating. Did you really have that much trouble just crossing the border from East Germany to Hungary? Given that Hungary and Poland will be celebrating their fourteenth anniversary from Soviet occupation, were you worried about possible clampdowns?"

The buxom redhead laughed loudly after downing half a glass of Leffe, and then turned quite serious, "You have no idea, either of you what we went through on that assignment, and we were on legitimate tourist visas, for God's sakes! I swear, we were followed everywhere- from our hotel, to the press office, to the museums, government buildings… I thought I was going to go insane if we stayed their one more day. Everything is so… regimented; even the children attack you if they see you doing something unorthodox. It was a hellish nightmare, Orwell was correct. There was a contingent of storm troopers following us everywhere; oh I don't want to speak about it anymore." Wiping her eyes, her husband explained that a strange fellow was also tagging along, obviously an undercover KGB officer. His piercing eyes wandered all over his wife with venomous hatred.

Tintin nodded, "That does seem bizarre, a KGB officer with some sort of vendetta against you or your wife. It's unusual, I'll say." Hélène nodded in agreement, when Raquel called for the check and the couple left. The evening drew a close, and the rain finally stopped. A goldenrod moon illuminated the plaza as Hélène and Tintin strolled hand in hand. As they walked towards home, a passing car lulled behind them. Pulling towards the front of a row house, Tintin readied his pistol while Hélène a knife. The door opened and out strode a well-dressed officer approached them. He said calmly, "I do not wish you two any harm. Young man, your lady friend… by any chance is she related to Rosamund Dupont?"

Pulling out her knife, Hélène replied sharply, "How in hell did you know that? Rosamund Dupont is my mother- I swear if you hurt her in any way..." Tintin managed to restrain her and commented, "Who are you, and what business is it of yours who my girlfriend is related to?"

The officer waved his hand dismissively, "I am not inclined to say at the moment, but if you are not careful, there will be others also looking for a certain lost machine." Tapping his nose, it was obvious he knew about the Tesseract machine. Speeding away, Tintin and Hélène were confused, what had just happened?

By the next morning, word had spread that in the middle of the night that a couple had been sexually assaulted and the assailant was still at large. The victims were none other than Irish expat Raquel Sullivan and her husband, Gary Jones. Details were under lock and key, and Thompson and Thomson who were the first officers at the scene, requested Tintin and Hélène investigate it. When they arrived at the flat, the couple was in surprise. The main rooms were clean, but the private rooms were ransacked, as though robbery may have been a partial motive. Nothing of obvious value was taken, except that there was still quite a bit of blood pooled on the bedroom floor. The words "Vendetta Tyranus" were smeared on the wall closest to the bathroom.

"What is that supposed to mean, vendetta tyranus? Tyranus is Latin for tyrant, and vendetta means a death warrant. I suppose the assailant thought they were tyrants of some kind, but this… this is overkill. Augustin, have Thompson and Thomson said if the Jones-Sullivans survived," Hélène inquired as Tintin finished jotting down notes. He shook his head, "According to them, Gary was attacked with some sort of blunt object, before being sodomized repeatedly and then stabbed 47 times with a butcher knife. Raquel was nearly scalped, had her tongue cut out of her mouth, and also suffered major lacerations to her backside." Hélène turned pale, "I think I'm going to be sick." Tintin nodded in agreement and as they exited the building, they caught sight of the Russian officer, carrying a bundle of notebooks covered in blood.

"Hey you- get back here," Hélène hollered as she began to give chase. The KGB officers pulled out on a motorbike and sped off, hotly pursued by Tintin. Tossing his girlfriend a helmet and an automatic pistol, he shouted, "Come on, I think we can catch him." Hélène nodded, and off they went.

It's not easy chasing somebody on a motorbike and shooting a gun at the same time. With the rounds fired, the KGB member missed and even with one good eye, Hélène successfully took out the spare tire, tail lights and dented the back fender. As the officer pulled beside them, he savagely kicked at them, scraping Helene's leg and drawing blood. Wincing, she decked him and shot at the fuel gage. It worked, and the officer leapt off and ran towards an abandoned factory complex.

" Ha ha, we've got you now," she cackled triumphantly as they entered the empty drive way. A series of shots from a machine gun sent them on a hasty retreat. "Or not. Good show, darling" Tintin grinned at Hélène and kissed her.

By now, the officer had calmed down, and then did something unexpected. He walked out into the open unarmed. "You two, you ruined my vendetta. But I suppose it won't hurt to tell you who I am, or what I am doing here. I am Ianto Jones, or Torchwood. Those journalists, they betrayed me and my lover to the Soviet agents in Argentina about three years ago. They… laughed as I was humiliated and shamed because of who I am. My information was destroyed… tell Jack Harkness I love him." Smiling sadly, he pulled a knife to his throat before three squad cars arrived to arrest him.

After picking Snowy up from Mrs. Saddler, Tintin and Hélène drove to Marlinspike Hall. When Haddock heard about this, he commented, "Ianto Jones, really? Never would have pegged him as a queer, but then again him being lovers with Jack Harkness would make sense. He was a desk clerk for Torchwood about the time your mother was pregnant with you. Barnacles, what are you going to do know?"

Hélène replied, "Simple, Augustin and I are going to investigate Ianto's connection to Jones and Sullivan, and see where that leads."


	6. Chapter 6: Cybermen Imperfecta

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Yahoo, four reviews! Thanks to all who have reviewed so far. Let's keep them coming. I own nothing mentioned here except for Helénè. All other characters belong to 20th Century Fox, BBC and BBC America, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Russell T. Davies.

Suggested Soundtrack: Mechanical Lullaby- Coraline, Imperial March

Chapter 6: Cybermen Imperfecta

Bright lights washed over Raquel Sullivan's tormented form, as hushed voices discussed her condition. Trashing harder than a landed fish, she struggled to free herself, only to find herself handcuffed to her bed. "What is the meaning of this, I am a crime victim," she lamented loudly as Tintin and Helénè walked into room followed by Snowy. After speaking quickly to the officer inside the doorway, he left the belligerent woman with the two reporters.

"Well, well, well- I see your feeling better, Miss Sullivan. Can't say your late husband fared much better," Tintin mused while Helénè began transcribing the interview. Raquel felt her jaw drop, what had happened to her husband? Angrily announcing her innocence, she demanded that he and his girlfriend report instead on the injustice of being treated like a common criminal at the hospital. He shook his head and countered that evidence had been found linking them with a ring of criminals selling personal information to rogue governments. On top of that, she and her husband had collected evidence of some mechanical wonder that Soviet scientists were supposedly working on.

"Admit it then, you were in it for the money," he scolded harshly while Helénè added that committing treason was a certain death sentence. Raquel broke down, she didn't want to die. Finally admitting that she and her husband were passing along information about high ranking government officials, she was strangely silent about Ianto Jones and Jack Harkness. It was then Thompson and Thomson entered, "Bonjour Mister and Missus Tintin, lovely morning isn't it? Sorry to interrupt, but Miss Sullivan needs to be escorted to the women's prison."

Taking their leave, Helénè groused sourly, "Vashta Nerada, what a waste! Not a bloody trace of how Ianto plays in to any of this, much less Jack Harkness." Augustin nodded understanding, "I was sorry to hear that as well, sweetheart. But, she did confess to the spying and treason charges. Still, I wonder about those tablets from earlier…"

Helénè nodded, there was good chance information relating to the case was written down. Hopping back on the motor bike, the trio headed back towards the abandoned office building where the show down with Ianto had taken place just a few hours prior.

Upon arrival, there was nobody there. Snowy picked up the scent, and led them to a dumpster. Helénè groaned, what a time to be thinking about food. Scrounging around, Augustin retrieved a cache of blood covered notebooks. Kneeling down, she apologized to Snowy for being so sharp with him.

Sitting down together in the overgrown courtyard, they began to read the notebooks. The text read:

"…. The mechanical soldier project is not going well at all… subjects resisting implementation of software, massive die offs… ill prepared…. resorting to using the mentally feeble and ill…. Project success, but soldiers ill prepared… feral… must be let loose before Stalingrad falls…. So ends Cybermen perfect-… nyet, CYBERMEN IMPERFECTA..."

Breathless, Tintin and Helénè were frightened and for very good reasons. During World War 2, Soviet scientists had been forcing people against their wills to be turned into some kind of mechanical nightmare. Helénè wept, all those poor people tortured and nobody to stop it. "That's…. horrible, who would do such a thing?" Kissing away her tears, Augustin assured her that they would stop whoever was doing this. But first, Calculus needed to see this.

At Marlinspike Hall, the breathless couple hurried to the professor's laboratory and showed him the notebooks. Studying them, he commented, "My goodness, those poor innocents! Sent to their deaths for the advancement of science… this is what Jones and Sullivan were doing- damn them!"

Helénè inquired, "Professor, do the manual say how the Cybermen were created?" Trembling, Tintin embraced her and handed her the last of the notebooks, "I believe this was their method." Huddled around a table, all eyes fell on the visual orgy of blood. The detailed plans described in gory detail how humans were vivisected on an assembly line while their brains were lobotomized and placed in sterile porcelain and steel skeletons. According to the discolored and jumbled text, the Cybermen were going to be the undoing of the western world. Thankfully, their grasp of the seemingly alien technology was poor and the experiment was a failure. Even so, where were the Cybermen Imperfecta, and were they connected to the Tesseract machines?

Just as Helénè was about to faint, a loud scream brought them out to the greenhouse, where a kitchen maid was screaming hysterically. Waving her arms about, she hollered, "Monster, there's a monster outside the wall!" Helénè offered the frazzled domestic a glass of water, and she explained that while picking frosh herbs for dinner, some metallic being, roughly six and half feet tall was seen tearing up the vegetable patch and tearing the flesh of burrowing rodents left and right.

While Calculus calmed her down, Helénè breathed, "The poaching, Tintin! That monster... is a Cyberman Imperfecta!" Tintin nodded, "Great snakes, your right darling! We haven't a moment to lose!"

Excusing themselves, Tintin and Helénè ran towards the back gate, followed by Snowy in hot pursuit.


	7. Chapter 7: Skaro ad Infinitum

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, except Hélène. All characters mentioned belong to George Hermè, Steven Spielberg, BBC and BBC America, and Russell T. Davies. Enjoy!

Suggested sound: Duel of the Fates- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Doctor Who theme

Chapter 7: Skaro Ad Infinitum

Ducking the flying branches, Helene and Tintin chased after the supposedly dangerous Cyberman Imperfecta through the forests dotting the Belgian countryside. Snowy ran beside them, intent on following the mechanical nightmare that had been digging up the flowerbeds at Marlinspike Hall. That was his job; no damn robot was taking over his duties as resident canine.

Approaching a brook, the Cyberman amazingly came to a halt. Tintin screeched to a halt, only to have Helene and Snowy run into him. The trio fell over into a patch of clover. "Watch it next time, okay sweetheart," he quipped dryly as Helene pulled out a revolver. Helping her future husband to his feet, Helene turned towards the malfunctioning automaton. "Okay you, in the name of Torchwood Europa, you're under arrest for disturbing the peace-" the Cyberman pinched Helene on her neck, rendering her unconscious. Pointing the gun at Tintin, the Cyberman Imperfecta ordered, "You with the canine. Take your mate and follow me."

Augustin was going to protest, but Helene let out a pained moan as the Cyberman dumped her into his open arms. Carrying her bridal style, the pissed off reporter, his injured girlfriend and canine companion trudged down an overgrown path used by Belgian resistance troops during German occupation. It seemed like hours before the Cyberman led them to their camp.

The campsite was reminiscent of a Roman Army camp, except that there were few buildings and campfires randomly set up. The other Cybermen Imperfecta were executing military drills and grinding away at leftover wildlife. A groundhog was roasting atop a spit jumbled together from wire coat hangers and a dead car battery. They all bore the same white steel armor suits and mechanized voice boxes, but their voices sounded dull and agitated. Was it possible that after years of neglect and ferality they were dying off? From where he was standing, Tintin could make out some sort of flag. It was a dark red with an alien looking blob on it. The text under it was Cyrillic, and it read "SKARO AD INFINITUM".

Tintin frowned, why were they worshipping Daleks? The only Dalek he and Helene were familiar with, Dalek Sec was a human-Dalek hybrid, and this was getting more and more bizarre by the minute. The Cyberman who had captured them dragged the captives towards a wooden hut. "Stay here," it buzzed. There were two mattresses, a chamber pot and a first aid kit sitting on a plastic stool.

Gently laying Helene down on one of the mattresses, Tintin took a wet cloth from one of the windows and wiped her brow off. She muttered something about killing Cyberman, and rolled over. Helene was definitely feeling better. Smiling, he lay down next to her and cradled her in his arms. Promptly, they both fell asleep. Snowy found his way outside and decided to explore the area.

None of the Cybermen Imperfecta noticed the fox terrier sniffing around. Snowy had never been in such a strange place before. Just then, he heard the frightful clanking of a Cyberman Imperfecta reaching down! "Help, I'm being repressed," Snowy squeaked as the droid walked off towards one of the barracks. "Put me down, if you don't Tintin and Helene will shoot you. I hope they do, you are putting me out of a job at Marlinspike Hall," the terrier ranted as the droid reached into a pouch. Producing dog treats, Snowy just stared at him. The Cyberman laughed jokingly as Snowy whimpered in confusion.

"Calm down, little fellow; I'm a friend. See, I am a human. My name is Jack Harkness, and I knew your mistress's mother. I am investigating this cult incognito, there is more to this than just the Tesseract machines. Take this message to Augustin and Helene. Somebody will help them later." Placing the note in Snowy's collar, the American escorted the erstwhile canine back towards the prison.

While Snowy had been out, Tintin had officially proposed to Helene. Saying yes, they had started snogging when their captor returned to see the newly engaged couple in the middle of a make out session. Tintin's sweater had been thrown aside, and his shirt was partially unbuttoned. Helene's hair had fallen out of its pony tail, her shirt was gone and her bra was already half way down. Augustin was on top of her, as her arms were wrapped around his neck. Barking excitedly, the couple gasped in surprise as Tintin quickly wrapped a blanket around themselves, still holding on a slightly woozy Helene.

Smirking at the couple, the Cyberman chuckled heartily, "Well, well what do I have here? Two lovers not even at the alter and going for a roll in the hay. Not the best place to consummate a relationship, but then again prison is a great place for shagging. Reminds me of the time me, River, Eleven, Ianto and I were bumming around Shanghai during the Marxist uprisings. Never go to a cabaret and declare Trotskyism dead… Long story short we're thrown in the brig and my darling Ianto attempts to borrow a dress from River, her being pregnant with Eleven's love child and all…"

During this monologue, Tintin realized their captor was none other the Captain Jack Harkness, former Torchwood member and the man responsible for introducing Haddock and Sakarin to Helene's mother. "You're Jack Harkness, aren't you? Why on earth are we here," he demanded as Helene gave him a sharp look. Snowy trotted over to the couple and began scratching at his collar. Picking up the note, Helene decided to look at it later. Right now, the real question was what was Jack Harkness doing there?

Harkness explained after fleeing Argentina, he had crash landed in Siberia where he had found out about the Cyberman Imperfecta and had followed their trail to Belgium. Along the way, he learned they had come across a stranded Dalek Davros and began worshipping him as a god. Hence, the Cult of Skaro had risen again, but three weeks ago Davros had been abducted by a man going by the name of Jean-Jacques Belloq. Leaderless, the Cyberman scattered and began dying from mechanical failure. The survivors were struggling to live, but any supplies needed were botched from the get go. As it turned out, the last Cybermen Imperfecta were indeed dead, but their armor was still running.

"The people they once were are all but dead, they're more machine now than men. I came here to end it, the whole thing. Don't worry, I'll see you three safely back to Marlinspike," Jack promised. Throwing Helene a tunic, he gave them a three minute warning.

Wondering what Harkness had planned, Helene stole a few of the military flags as Tintin and Snowy met her outside the base camp. A series of explosions lit up the sky as the ground surrounding the base imploded, followed by the smell of sulfer and decayed bodies. Harkness called to them, and they made their way towards a main road, where Harkness has a motorbike waiting.

Telling them not to comeback, they sped towards Marlinspike Hall. As they arrived, they nearly ran over Thompson and Thomson. "Tintin, Helene! There was an earthquake just now, we came by to see if the poacher has turned himself in," they chatted as Haddock ran out to greet them.

"Barnacles, where have you been? Tintin, didn't I tell you to keep Helene safe? Wait… is that an engagement ring? Darling boy, welcome to the family," he shouted gleefully as he led them all inside for a round of Loch Lomond.

Once the air of excitement had died down somewhat, Helene gave her father the note. "What does it mean, Captain? "Augustin queried as Haddock examined it. Haddock frowned, "It means that whoever created the Cybermen Imperfecta had no bloody idea what they were dealing with, but at least that matter is settled. What I want to know is how that bloody know it all Harkness knew about this before we did."


	8. Chapter 8: Lunar Nirvana

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Hey again, I still don't own anything mentioned. Enjoy! Wa

Suggested Soundtrack: Solo and the Princess- John Williams

Chapter 8: Lunar Nirvana and Hidden Messages

After Haddock and Calculus called it a night, Helene was sitting outside in her nightgown on one of the balconies thinking about the past events. Certainly she was thrilled about being home, finding out her childhood sweetheart still loved her, finding out that her adoptive family still cared about her, it was all too much. As much as she cared for everyone, she had gotten used to being pushed around by the bigger children at school and having to do things on her own just to prove herself. Years of distrust from her teachers had left her distrustful of others and just a little too impulsive to prove her independence. It did not help at all that her beloved Augustin was helpful in her endeavors on the job. Why did she try to push him away, she loved him with all her soul? What was wrong with her? She wasn't a damsel in distress, why was she acting like one all of a sudden?

Augustin had finished walking Snowy for the final time that evening, when he caught sight of Helene gazing out over the gardens. Her raven locks spilled softly around her bare shoulders and cascaded towards the small of her back. She was breathtaking and so sad; his heart ached to see her like this. Quietly stepping through the open door, he walked softly towards her. Planting soft kisses against her neck, she moaned softly as he embraced her. Turning around, she whispered shyly, "Augustin! What… what are you doing here?" Turning around to face him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled him. Playing with the buttons on the back of her nightgown, he commented, "You've been acting so oddly since you've returned. I know the car accident left you without the use of your left eye, but you're still the fiery, independent girl I fell in love with. Please Helene; let me help you regain that freedom." Placing a soft kiss on her slightly chapped lips, he pulled her closer and lay her down on a stone bench. Helene let out a soft moan and Tintin gently placed a series of soft kisses along her neck and lips. His hands snaked around towards her front and he began to gently massage her breasts. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders as the make out session continued. It lasted for the better part of an hour when a sudden gust of wind brought them back to reality.

Blushing, Augustin carried Helene in his arms bridal style back towards the bedroom, when one of the flags from the Cyberman Imperfecta camp landed on the granite railing. The letters glowed a near neon color and a loud buzzing sound emitted from it. Snowy barked at it, "It sounds like a radio! Hallo, hallo? Is anyone there?"

Walking over to it, Helene stroked the cloth when a loud voice blared, "IDENTIFY YOURSELF! IDENTIFY! DALEKS DO NOT LIKE ABANDONMENT, BELLOQ MUST BE EXTERMINATED! EXTERMINATE… Hello, who is listening? Is that you, Sec? Leave me to rot on the moon while you track down Harkness. Hello? At least send Rosamund and Haddock, I like them…"

Tintin coughed, "Great snakes, are you another Dalek? I am Augustin Berlioz, and I'm with Rosamund's daughter, Helene. By any chance, are you Dalek Davros?" There was a sputter of static followed a loud cough.

"Davros, are you insane? Guess not, so Helene's full grown then? I am Dalek Caan, former leader of the Daleks and former Torchwood associate. Davros was an alias when I was stuck in Stalingrad during the Nazi siege. Listen you two; I have been holed up here on this Skaro-forsaken rock for at least six months. Your friends in Syldavia are using nuclear energy for civilian purposes, but there is a dark shadow looming. There is not much time left for me. Caan out." The paper exploded, but left behind a strange microchip.

Over breakfast, Helene and Tintin told Calculus and Haddock what they had seen. Calculus nodded, "This microchip, I saw a prototype like this last year in Geneva. If it is true that Caan has been stuck up there, then it is possible that there is much more at stake."

He went on to explain that the Syldavian Council of Science had contacted him about his theories regarding rocket design, nuclear fuel and plans for lunar explanation. "I suppose we should make this a rescue mission. I wonder if Caan and Sec know anything about the tesseract machines," Augustin commented when Helene inquired if they shouldn't go along covering the story as a travelogue. He smiled at her, "Now that, my sweet Helene, is a brilliant idea." Snowy barked in agreement, a trip into outer space would be exciting.

Haddock eyed the group suspiciously, "If I didn't know any better, I would say somebody wants to draw out the former members of Torchwood out into the open for a final ambush." Excusing himself, he walked towards a mirror hanging by the front door. Fogging it up with his breath, he wrote down and recited an old rhyme; "54-54-564 to speak to Death through Lady Death's door." On the opposite side, a cheerful female appeared. "Hello Haddock. What can I do?"


	9. Chapter 9: Flickers towards Tomorrow

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Sweetness, six reviews! I still own nothing mentioned, except for Helene. All characters mentioned belong to Hergè, BBC and BBC America, Spielberg, Russell T. Davies, and Neil Gaiman. If anyone is interested, Death is voiced by Karen Gillam and Helene is voiced by Kiera Knightly. Enjoy!

Suggested Soundtrack: Talk of Podracing- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Leia's News/Light of the Force- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Chapter 9: Flickering towards Tomorrow

The shade facing Haddock blinked, why was he contacting her? Certainly as the not-so-Grim Reaper of innumerable universes, she had spent time in this one more often than not. Haddock was well aware of who she was during a mission in Svalbard involving a contingent of Ood and stranded Shuman tourists. It was after this incident she became an affiliate of Torchwood Europa. She had also been the one to open the wormhole to allow Rosamund and Helene to crossover into George Reimi's parallel universe. So, what was going on?

Clearing his throat, Haddock explained about the Tesseract machines, Helene's engagement to Tintin, Jack and Ianto reappearing out of the blue, not to mention the whole Cult of Skaro. He also asked if there was anything strange on her end. Death replied as far as she knew, nothing was stirring. As far as she was concerned, the Cyberman Imperfecta and Harkness weren't related at all to the Tesseract machines. However, she pointed out that what ever was going on then these were means to an uncertain end. She bade him good bye.

Walking back towards the kitchen for a stein of Loch Lomond, Haddock commented to himself, "What did she mean, not connected? It's Cybermen and Daleks, how could it not be all connected? Then again, it is possible that all of this is a coincidence, luring us away from investigating the Tesseract machines. If that's the case then, I am not going to let history repeat itself." Cracking his knuckles, Haddock raced towards Calculus's laboratory, when he ran over Thompson and Thomson standing in the doorway.

"Barnacles! Can't you two nimrods watch where you are going? I have something urgent to tell Cuthbert, and I would include the two of you, but what I am going to do involves Helene and Augustin and if word gets out…" he scolded harshly. The two officers quickly agreed to whatever it was that Haddock was intent on getting started. On the way to the lab, he explained that the last time anyone from Torchwood went overseas, he was intent on marrying Rosamund. His gut feeling was telling him something was rotten in the date of Syldavia, and wanted to take some precautionary measures.

Calculus was not in his lab, he was in the library. Glancing up at them he smiled, "Good afternoon gentlemen. I am sorry about the Cybermen invasion; I do not have a body for autopsy. Haddock, why are you handing me this? Oho, we're holding a wedding. Well, won't that be delightful for the love birds."

Thompson asked, "Blimey, Tintin and Helene are eloping here at Marlinspike, this very afternoon! Did you hear that, old bean? We've been asked to be witnesses. Of course we will be witnesses for Helene and Tintin's wedding, how delightful."

Thomson nodded eagerly in agreement, "I do agree with you there, chap. So if Haddock is the father of the bride, and we're the witnesses, then who is officiating? Professor…"

Calculus commented that while he was not ordained, he was a justice of the peace. The men managed to get Nestor into helping them set up the library for the ceremony.

As Snowy was going to be the ring bearer, it took some wrangling and at least half a pound of dog biscuits. Walking into the library because Nestor had asked him to, he was surprised to see a beaming Calculus holding a copy of the King James Bible. Thomson and Thompson glanced at the doorway expectantly, and Augustin realized what was going on. He was getting married, and sure enough a strain of Vivaldi floated in from a nearby radio and an incredibly pleased Captain Archibald Haddock was leading a blushing Helene towards him and Calculus. There hadn't been enough time to find a proper wedding dress, so she wore one of her mother's ball gowns. It was sapphire colored silk with flute sleeves. Her hat did have a veil, though.

Snowy bounded up to the couple, wedding bands attached to his leash. Turning to the assembled crowd, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Austin Berlioz to Helene Charlotte Dupont. Marriage is a sacred rite, not to be taken lightly. To be married means to experience all of life's joys and miseries together. It is through those experiences the love for our spouse matures and deepens, as does the friendship. Snowy, the rings please."

Snowy stood up in his hind legs, and after retrieving the rings, Calculus replied, "I believe the couple has prepared their own vows. Augustin, you first."

Smiling gently at the girl standing in front of him, Tintin took a deep breath, he breathed softly, "Helene, my sweet wife- I have only known you for such a short time when we were children. In Moscow, I knew there was something special about you. Even as the years passed, I always wondered what you would be doing, and you inspired me to become a reporter. With this ring, I thee wed." Carefully slipping the white gold band onto her right hand, he took her hands to hips lips and kissed the softly.

Blushing profusely, Helene replied sweetly, "My dearest Augustin, those times we spent together in Russia opened my eyes to the adventures that take place in life. After we parted, I rejected what you had taught me about patience and other points of view after learning I could no longer see out of my left eye. I was frustrated and pushed back to the point I was losing the ones I cared about. After returning here, I have finally begun to reclaim the person I still am, buried after all those years. With this ring, I thee wed." She repeated his actions.

Smiling, Calculus announced, "Gentlemen may I proudly be the first to introduce you to Monsieur and Madam Augustin Berlioz. You may kiss the bride." Not needing to hear anything else, Tintin pulled his bride into a passionate kiss. Helene snuggled into his embrace, neither wanting to let go.


	10. Chapter 10: Something Unexpected Happens

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Holy Mackerel, 8 reviews! Sweet! I still own nothing mentioned. Enjoy!

Suggested soundtrack: Solo and the Princess- The Empire Strikes Back, Fairy Tale-Enya, It's Hard Work!- Spirited Away

Chapter 10: Something Completely Different than Expected

After excusing themselves, Helene changed back into a burgundy shirt dress and sandals while Augustin packed a picnic lunch. So much had just gone on; he wanted to talk to her. Walking into the kitchen, Helene gave him a short kiss on the cheek, she inquired, "Are you ready?" Nodding, they left along with Snowy and strolled along the garden paths. Helene let out a contented sigh and lay her head on Augustin's shoulder. Reaching a good spot under a leafy yew tree, Tintin and Helene spread out an old tablecloth. While eating tuna salad sandwiches, Helene decided it was time to speak.

"Augustin, do you think we're ready?"

"? Ready for what exactly? Marriage, most likely; starting a family- not for a while. I do love you Helene, but I think if we're going to be investigating the tesseract machines, we should hold off consummating the relationship. It's been a month since your return, and I am afraid I've been too eager to rush our relationship-"

Helene cut him off by placing a sweet kiss on his lips. Shyly pulling away, she sat in his lap and tenderly embraced him. She smiled, "Your right, of course. Not that I mind snogging with you, you are a wonderful kisser! But, I do think we are moving too fast on the physical aspects. I agree, we need to slow down." She leaned into his neck, and sighed. Tintin inwardly smirked, he could get used to this.

The two lovebirds spent the better part of the afternoon gazing out at the horizon while pelting each other with different rounds of I-Spy. Snowy was very happy for the couple, "Hoorah, Tintin has a mate. Does this mean she will have little human puppies?" Walking a good distance ahead of the newlyweds, Snowy heard Nestor walking up the lane. Waving to them, he shouted, "Mister Tintin, Miss Helene! I am in need of your assistance."

Catching up to the butler, he explained that tonight's dinner was supposed to be ratatouille but the Cybermen Imperfecta had ruined the vegetable garden. He asked if they would be so kind as to go into town and pick up some supplies. Tintin and Helene agreed, going into Marlinspike proper would be an enjoyable event.

The hamlet of Marlinspike sat less than a twenty minute drive from Marlinspike Hall, and since the weather was agreeable, Tintin and Helene took the Fiat. Helene insisted on driving, but Augustin made her take off the eye patch, citing safety concerns. Helene was timid at first, her eye patch had helped her feel more secure but she was a married woman now, with people who genuinely cared about her. Swallowing her pride and fear, she tossed it aside and peeled out of the back driveway without as much as a dent on the car. On the main road, they quickly hit an agreeable speed and Helene cheered as they pulled into a parking spot. The freedom of driving along a rural road was liberating, Helene felt as though she had been flying, she hadn't felt like this in years. Tintin gazed at his wife and smiled gently. Her cheeks were rosy with laughter and her chocolate eyes had that old spark back.

Retrieving the list, they stepped into the grocer's. There were any number of people going about their business and the fresh produce was bustling. Helene and Tintin split up to cover more ground, and nearly got trampled by a group of women arguing about the price of American canned tuna. Snowy broke up the crowd by running of with the last can. Tintin shook his head, would Snowy ever learn? Meeting back up with Helene by the butcher's stand, he noticed she had placed the canine in the shopping cart. "One of the stock clerks was about to muzzle him unless I put him in here," she explained. He agreed that it was probably for the best and they made their way towards the deli, where they caught sight of a woman in his late thirties having a nervous breakdown.

"What do you mean, you're out of Gouda? My mistress special ordered it from Ghent, she adores Belgian cheeses. Of course, the shipping rates to Milan are ridiculous at this time of year, oh what am I going to do," she lamented loudly. Concerned, Helene tapped the woman on the shoulder and asked if everything was alright.

The woman explained that her mistress was on tour currently and as they were visiting Brussels, the veritable woman wanted local cuisine. But, there had been a mix up in the orders, and $8,000 francs worth of Belgian Gouda were en route to Madrid. Tintin commented that the Gouda was on sale at high end catering shops in Bruges and Ghent. The woman was relieved to hear that her mission could be salvaged. It was at that moment, the cheese buyer appeared with the correct order. The woman tearfully thanked them, and rushed towards the checkout line.

Once they got back to Marlinspike Hall, Calculus asked where they had been. Augustin explained that he, Helene and Snowy had been out on a grocery run. Walking down the main staircase, Helene failed to notice that one of the stairs had a crack in it. "Tintin, professor! Look out-" Helene yelped, but it was too late. All three of them, sans terrier, slid on the plate sized crack and landed in a pile. Helping Helene up, Tintin inquired, "Are you two okay?" Helene replied she was a bit bruised, but she was fine.

Calculus nodded, "I am all right, but what a spill. Look out next time, okay?" Tintin and Helene sighed, isn't that what they had just said? Just then, a hassled looking Haddock ran down the stairs, dragging a suitcase with him.

"Thundering typhoons, don't just stand there. I just got a phone call from the Thompsons about an incident at a local grocery store. Blistering barnacles, I am going to have company of the worst kind. We're leaving for Milan, so let's get moving." Helene was about to ask who the uninvited guest, when part of Haddock's suitcase cause on the crack and he tumbled onto the marble floor, breaking his ankle.

"Billions of blistering blue barnacles, what rotten luck," he wailed as Calculus examined the injury. Shaking his head, he replied blithely, "Good luck for you, Haddock. Your ankle's sprained, not broken. But you need to take it easy for the next two weeks. Good thing I have wheelchair for this sort of occasion."

"Nitiwt, I wasn't talking about my injury, I was referring to our uninvited guest," Haddock shouted back. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Nestor announced to the group, "Master Haddock, Tintin, Miss Helene and Professor Calculus, may I introduce our guest, Signora Bianca Castifore."

Tintin and Helene gasped, Haddock groaned and Calculus bowed. The Milanese Nightingale was their guest. Like that, something unexpected had indeed happened.


	11. Chapter 11: Uninvited Houseguests

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I still own nothing mentioned. Enjoy the latest installment, and please leave reviews! More reviews means quicker updates! If you are unfamilair with Brussels, the central plaza is known as the Grand Place, and is surrounded with amazing cathedrals, cafes and shops.

Suggested Soundtrack: Procession of the Gods- Spirted Away, Princess Leia's Theme- Star Wars- A New Hope

Chapter 11: Uninvited Houseguests

Bianca Castaifiore, famous opera singer and former lover of a one Deidrich Sakarin glanced down her nose at the assembled crowd. She recognized Tintin at once, and when her eyes fell of Helene and the matching wedding bands, she smiled. How wonderful to be young and in love. She glanced over at the bookish professor and the police officers. Her sights finally fell on Haddock's rugged good looks. Waltzing over to the less than thrilled Haddock, she intoned loudly, "Bonjour Captain Cassock, I was pleased to see that you and your entourage are still here. Good afternoon, Tintin and this is your wife? Helene, isn't it? What a lovely young thing you are, I wish you two much happiness. Hello, professor." Calculus blushed lightly, and graciously kissed her hands.

"Bonjor to you well as well, Signora Castaifiore," he greeted jovially as Haddock rolled his eyes in mock admiration. Tintin and Helene shared a quiet laugh, while Thompson and Thomson asked her about the mixed up order of Gouda. Lounging on a chaise, she explained that she had always been fond of Central European cheeses, even as a young girl. However, cheese tened to go south quite quickly in the warm season in Milan, and with the recent uprising behind the Iron Curtain derailing trading lines she felt that getting her cheese from the source would be the next best thing. When her maid, Irma had told her all about the kind newlyweds who had been helpful, she just had to thank them.

"Of course, the Belgian National Opera Comapny has hired me for a three week stay here in the Brussels area, so I have decided to stay here. What a lovely library, this will work perfectly," she prattled. Snowy winced, Bianca was a bad singer and an even worse person to be around. Helene and Tintin were all that impressed with her either, it was bad enough she was a diva on stage, but off stage as well would be too much to handle. Haddock sputtered, "Look here, Miss Castfiore! I object to you using my library for your artistic endeavors and under no circumstances are you staying here. Bad enough I have a broken ankle, but you, you insufferable woman, are too much!"

Screwing up her face in disgust, she spat back, "How dare you throw out an obvious star as myself on to the streets. Even if I was to stay at a hotel, it would be far to crowded with my many admirers and staff to accomadate us all. Besides, are they staying here as well?" By they, she was referring to Augustin and Helene.

Haddock snorted, "Helene is my daughter, and Tintin is my son in law. They can stay here as they are family. The professor is partially responisble for my being here in my ancestral home. I suppose the hotels around the Central Plaza on the full side this time of year, but there is no way you are using the library for your... artistic endeavors. You can use my maritime collection gallery instead. The acoustics are better in there." This really wasn't true at all, the library had better acoustics, but Castaifiore was unaware of this.

Seeing that Haddock wasn't going to budge on the issue, she conceeded. "All right, Hammock. You'll get your wish. I will have the camera crew set up first thing tomorrow. But first, I must collect Irma and Wagner."

"Who is Wagner, any relation to Richard Wagner," Helene inquired. Bianca cast the girl a dark look. "Wagner is my pianist, and I assure you he is in no way related to that psychopathic anti-Semite opera composer." Tintin raised his eye brows, Hitler was the psychopath, not Wagner. But, they were both anti-Semitic and that was inexcusable. Helene nodded, and Tintin wrapped his arms around her. Calculus and Nestor decided to show Bianca to where she would be staying.

Once they left, Haddock chucked a pillow at the door, "Thundering typhoons, that siren is going to drive me to my wit's end before the month is over." Helene nodded, she certainly was firecracker. Augustin conjectured, "Do you suppose that Irma was the woman we saw at the grocer's earlier today?" Helene replied there was a good chance that it was. This was certainly to be interesting to say the least.

An half hour later, Wagner and Irma arrived. Irma was dressed in the uniform of an Edwardian era English upstairs maid. She smiled at Tintin and Helene and thanked them profusely for getting her mistress's order figured out. The man with her was a beanpole, with beady eyes and wild blonde hair. His clothes were pressed and he eyed his greeters suspiciously. Haddock directed him towards the gallery, while Irma searched out her mistress.

At the day drew to a close, Bianca told Nestor she wanted supper, so leftovers were heated up and served. Sitting at the dining room table, Tintin and Helene sat together next to Calculus who was gazing dreamily at Bianca. Opposite them sat Haddock and Wagner. Irma and Nestor would be eating in the kitchen, along with the other servants. Snowy was eating leftover roast beef under the table. Turning towards Augustin and Helene, Wagner asked them. "So, Tintin and Helene, how long have you tow known each other?"

"Helene and I were childhood sweethearts, and we just reconnected about a month ago," Augustin explained. Helene explained that they had met when their parents were overseas on business. There was no need to mention the tesseract machines. He nodded and went back to eating the ratatouille. Calculus asked Bianca what she would be doing during her stay at Marlinspike Hall.

Laughing, Bianca began to explain, "I am going to be giving a televised concert for all of Benelux curtesy of the local BBC affilate. I will also be giving an interview with two Paris Flash reporters tomorrow morning. I also plan on being filmed singing my most famous songs for a documentary about the history of European opera and theatre. It really is most exciting, don't you agree, Captain Paddock?"

"About as exciting as facing an execution squad of Daleks and Cybermen in Svalbard," Haddock retorted sarcastically. The Paris Flash, despite it's supposed reputation as a cutting edge newspaper, was in more respects in line with American gossip rags than the Herald Tribune or England's The Times. He could only imagine what sort of scandal mongering reporters would be looking for. They were giving journalism a poor name, Tintin and Helene were certainly two of Europe's finest investigative reporters, no doubt about that. But, people were always eager to read about the affairs and foibles of high ranking businessmen, celebrities and royal families. So long as there was something in the garbage of Europe's most influential, there was bound to be someone to put it all out on public display.

The hour grew late, and Bianca retired, much to everyone's relief. Tintin found Helene in their bedroom singing the Jewel Song from Faust. Her pitch was much softer and sweeter sounding, almost like a wistful lullaby. Walking over to her, he led her in a slow waltz as she sang. She blushed, "I really like that song, but Bianca butchers it. I don't want to sing it in public." He kissed her softly, and reassured her that her secret was safe. Curling up in his arms under the blankets, they were soon asleep.


	12. Chapter 12: Haddock's Worst Nightmare

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Hey again, it's summer break and I am updating before my classes start up again. I am taking five courses this summer, so I shall be updating as often as possible. Big thanks to Pink_Pencil_Girl for her thoughtful critiques! I don't know what the names of the tabloid reporters are so I am naming them after two of my favorite characters from Code Lyoko, another cartoon I do not own. All characters belong to their respective owners.

Suggested Soundtrack: Arrival on Tatooine- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, It's Hard Work- Spirited Away, Swan Lake: Opus 20- Tchaikovsky

Chapter 12: Haddock's Living Nightmare

The chirpings of birds outside the window roused Augustin from a restful slumber. Helene was still asleep, snuggled against his chest. Glancing over at the electronic clock radio, the time read 6:03. It was a bit on the early side to wake up, an hour more of sleep wouldn't hurt. Readjusting himself not to wake his sleeping beauty, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and promptly fell back asleep.

Helene rose first, kissed Tintin softly and whispered, "Good morning, Augustin." Lying on her side, she smiled cheekily and he kissed her softly. Greeting her as well, Tintin stroked her face softly before kissing her. Snowy roused himself and barked impatiently at the lounging newlyweds. He chuckled, "All right Snowy, we're getting up." Turning off the alarm, they cleaned up and took Snowy for his morning walk. The gardens had burst into color that fine early summer morning, and it was a breathtaking sight. Helene leaned over the smell the climbing roses.

"What a lovely morning, I feel like nothing bad can dampen my mood, even our over the top guest," Helene commented poetically while Tintin waited for Snowy to finish going potty. He smiled at her, "You are absolutely right, Helene." Snowy finished his business and wandered over to Helene. Stooping down, she smiled and patted the terrier's soft head. Making their way back towards the kitchen to get some breakfast, the couple caught sight of Wagner slinking along the back garden wall, holding a dirty laundry bag. He rushed to an unused shed and slammed the door. Snowy barked in surprise, what had that been all about?

Sitting down at breakfast, Helene inquired to Castafiore about what her agenda was. Bianca informed the young couple she was giving an interview to the reporters from Paris sometime before noon that day. She was also practicing in the gallery, as soon as Wagner was up. He was sleeping in, and had told Irma he was suffering from a hangover. Haddock groaned, he didn't need his Loch Lomond supply drained by a foppish pianist. Calculus was already in his lab, and did not want to be disturbed.

After breakfast was finished, Haddock was rolling away towards the garden when Bianca caught up to him. "Captain Padlock, you look unwell. You need some fresh air, and since it is such a lovely day let me take you around the gardens," Bianca cheerfully offered, long forgetting her and Haddock's heated argument the previous afternoon.

Haddock protested, "My name is Haddock, not Padlock! Iconoclastic diva. No, I do not want to be shown around my gardens." Bianca ignored him, determined to help her host recover. Without as much as a word, she rolled the invalid out the side door onto the pathway.

Meanwhile, Tintin and Helene were leisurely strolling around the front yard, when they caught sight of two men in a quite dented Astin Martin speaking to each other in French. These must be the reporters that Bianca had been alluding to. Noticing they were being watched, the taller one with dark hair and glassy grey eyes addressed them.

"Hello there, you two. I am Ulrich Stern for the Paris Flash, and this is my co-reporter Odd Dell Robia. We are here at Marlinspike Hall to interview the Milanese Nightingale. You wouldn't happen to know where she is currently, would you."

Augustin shook his head, "Sorry, I haven't seen her since breakfast. Have you seen her recently, Helene?" Helene replied that she had not seen the soprano since breakfast. The second reporter, Odd asked who the two of them were. Helene explained that she was Haddock's daughter and Tintin was her fiancé. The towheaded reporter nodded, "See? It makes perfect sense, Rosamund Dupont being seen with Haddock and Sakarin at all those outing years ago. Makes her illegitimate…"

Tintin coughed, and gave the men a sharp look. Ulrich made a hasty apology, and the two scampered off to the front door. "Illegitimate indeed, I am the daughter of Doctor Rosamund Dupont," Helene huffed. Tintin comforted her by saying that they didn't know the first thing they were talking about. She smiled.

Calculus answered the door, much to the surprise of the reporters. "Good morning gentlemen, I take you are here to see Signora Castafiore. Please excuse me, I am about to gather materials for my latest experiment."

Odd inquired, "Professor Calculus, you are a friend of Captain Haddock. Could you please enlighten us about her stay here at Marlinspike?"

"Relationship between the two of them, well they are engaged currently," Calculus prattled, thinking that they were asking about Tintin and Helene. Unbeknownst to Calculus, Ulrich and Odd took this to mean Haddock was engaged to Bianca Castafiore. This really was quite a scoop; all they needed was a picture!

Across from the two tabloid reporters, Haddock was being pushed around by a happy Bianca Castafiore. Chatting incessantly about the amazing variety of flowers at Marlinspike Hall, she handed him a bouquet. Taking it roughly, they were temporarily blinded by the sudden appearance of flash bulbs. Once the photo session ended, they told Castafiore thank you and sped off. "That was unusual, I thought they would want an interview," she stated dryly. Haddock frowned, what had that been about?

It was not even high noon, when the BBC radio station announced the following news tidbit, "…in more recent news, the Paris Flash is reporting the upcoming nuptials between Belgian millionaire Archibald Haddock and Italian superstar soprano, Bianca Castafiore. Castafiore is currently touring Belgium with Brussels' City Opera troupe…"

Tintin and Helene were in the office working on an article involving weapon running over seas when they heard the news. Dropping his pencil in surprise Tintin gasped, "Crumbs, when did this happen? Haddock can't stand Bianca, where on earth did he get the idea to propose?"

Helene replied, "I doubt he did. If I had to venture a guess, those two gossip mongers talked to Calculus and misinterpreted his reply." Augustin nodded, that had to be what happened. Just then, Haddock burst into the room, demanding how it was that people were saying he and Bianca were engaged. Helene and Tintin comforted him as best they could, but this really was Haddock's worst living nightmare. Sadly, it was bound to get worse before it got better.


	13. Chapter 13: Sec's Murder Mystery Part 1

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I doubt I ever will. Apologies for the absconded plot, but this chapter has twist- a murder! Relax, nobody important gets killed off, but Dalek Sec returns to play detective disguised as everyone's favorite potions master. Enjoy!

Suggested Soundtrack: Mechanical Lullaby- Coraline, Lady Eboshi- Princess Mononoke, Papatine's Theme- John Williams

Chapter 13: Dalek Sec's Murder Mystery, Part 1

30 minutes before noon, Nestor led an austere looking man from Interpol into the collection gallery. He was unusually tall for a Brit, with pallid skin, a beak like nose and a standoffish manner. "Master Haddock, I would like to introduce our guest, Interpol Sergeant… what did you say your name was?"

"My name is Severus, Severus Snape of Scotland Yard. An informant of mine in the village of Marlinspike has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. I was told that Marlinspike Hall was currently housing the Torchwood Europa institute," he intoned dryly as everyone introduced themselves. Augustin and Helene were suspicious, how did this Severus Snape know about Torchwood? Was this the person/alien Jack Harkenss had been alluding to?

Rolling over to the officious officer, Haddock told him, "I don't know who you are, or where you came from. There is no such thing as Torchwood; I am afraid sir, that you are sadly mistaken. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay for Miss Castafiore's televised concert after lunch. Besides, if you really are Severus Snape, then your shimmer application is slipping, Ianto. I saw you eyeing Augustin, you pervert. Augustin is already hopelessly in love with Helene, Rosamund's daughter. I already had them married two days ago in the library, so if all goes well I will be a grandfather by this time next year. Besides, Tintin has never even looked at any one of either gender like he does at Helene, and they are happily married."

Severus rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Haddock! I am not interested in your son in law or your _adopted _daughter, I am not Ianto Jones. Now, leave me be because here comes Bianca, Calculus and them." Striding away from Haddock, he introduced himself. Bianca was taken aback, what was Interpol doing here? He assured her that she was not in any danger he was just doing some research.

Just then, a film crew arrived with the equipment. Calculus led them all into the collection gallery. The room had been set up like a stage for a piano concert. Snowy was sitting under the piano, nervously anticipating the impending concert. Tintin and Helene were cuddling on the loveseat out of camera view stage left. Haddock was sitting in front of them, at Bianca's insistence. Calculus was standing next to the oddly plain woman running the camera. Her hair was dusty brown, her eyes a pale silver. Her director was an American with wild russet hair and sapphire eyes. He was clad in a black trench coat, denim trousers and combat boot. Calculus shook his head; artist types had such strange clothing preferences.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen, we are live in five minutes. Hello there, Mister Waggoner, glad you join us," the director boomed as a hassled Wagner sat down at the piano. Replying with a sharp protest, Wagner apologized but felt faint when he saw Snape glare at him. Bianca chided him for being late but also introduced herself to the television audience, "According to press rumors, I am an engaged woman, but that is not the case. Captain Archibald Flapjack was kind enough to open his home to me, but I must say this to the entire world: WE ARE NOT ENGAGED! That aside, I will say that I do know who the real newly weds are, the reporter Tintin and his pretty assistant, Helene." She gestured to the young couple who were cuddling on the love seat. Both blushing, they shyly waved towards the television camera, before it panned back towards the diva.

Tintin sighed, that was better. Helene pulled him closer for a kiss, and Augustin kissed her hungrily, running his hands through her soft hair. With Bianca singing, this would be a good distraction. Sucking on her pulse point, he let his hands wander up and down her back while Helene squirmed in his lap while massaging his shoulders.

Bianca began singing her favorite number as Snowy howled along, drowned out by the piano. Haddock thought his ears were going to bleed, he really regretted not throwing out the Milanese Nightingale when a leg rattled his chair. Craning his neck, he caught Tintin and Helene in the middle of a full blown snog. Helene was lying down on the love seat, her blouse shoved up barely above her bra, arms wrapped around Augustin's shoulders, letting out soft, breathy moans. Augustin's arms were wrapped her around her slander torso, hands splayed softly against her round breasts. He was planting hard, sensual kisses against her bare skin.

He smirked before turning around, recalling doing the same thing to Rosamund on more than one occasion some twenty five years earlier. While all this was going on, somebody unknown had sneaked into the gallery, took aim and waited. Once the song had ended, Bianca took a bow before launching into a review of her favorite arias. All of a sudden, the chandelier overhead broke and crashed into the piano. Bianca screamed, when a shot was heard and Wagner fell over onto the floor, the fatal shot lodged in his brain.

When the lights came back on, Snape had locked all the doors to prevent exiting the crime scene. Helene and Tintin had quit snogging and had pulled themselves together enough to begin documenting what had happened. What was obvious was that Bianca Castafiore's pianist was dead from a gunshot wound. The suspect could be anywhere, but Snape was now addressing them.

"Miss Castafiore, I am sorry for your loss, but as you are all witnesses to a murder mystery, I cannot allow any of you to leave the estate. This is now under my investigation, now I will open the doors and let you calm down," Snape ordered as the group hightailed it out of there. Castafiore was a total wreck, and Irma managed to calm her down with some damson gin and crackers. Haddock and Calculus took Wagner's corpse to the lab for an autopsy, leaving Tintin and Helene alone with Snowy in the foyer.

"Vashta, murdered in the middle of a television concert. Snakes, he must have had something wrong with him," Helene mused while Tintin looked over his notes. He replied that he agreed, the doors had been locked so whoever the gunman was must have had a key or had faked entry. He admitted that shooting the chandelier to create a distraction was a first rate idea. Suddenly, the whole thing clicked.

"Crumbs, how daft we've been! Look here, Helene! Do you remember this morning and we saw Wagner run into that shed by the gardens? Methinks that has something to do with this whole case," he gasped in surprise. Helene nodded and all three of them sped outdoors as quickly as possible, followed by Snowy in hot pursuit.


	14. Chapter 14: Sec's Murder Mystery Part 2

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I doubt I ever will. The murder plot continues. Enjoy!

Suggested Soundtrack: Dangerous- Coraline, Deal with the Dark Lord- Star Wars: The Empire, Lothlorien-Enya

Chapter 14: Dalek Sec's Murder Mystery Part 2

Making their way outside, Tintin and Helene wandered towards the abandoned shed anxious about what they would find. The door, while closed tightly, was not locked. Tintin went to look for a key but Helene grabbed a piece of rock and chucked it at the door. She smiled triumphantly, "You were taking too long." Tintin made a face and kissed her affectionately. Snowy scampered into the room and returned with the bag from that morning.

"I wonder what's inside," Helene mused while Tintin held on to it. Making their way back to the professor's laboratory, they encountered Haddock yelling at Calculus about having to be confined to a wheelchair. Apparently, Castafiore was insisting on treating him like a small child, and having been self reliant for so many years was making his cranky. Calculus was arguing that it wasn't his fault the stair had a crack in it to begin with.

Watching with amusement, Tintin and Helene entered the lab when Snowy barked to break up the heated argument. Haddock coughed, "Snowy, didn't see you there- sorry about that, you two. Did you find anything?"

Tintin nodded, "We sure did. Helene and I saw Wagner dump a bag inside one of the storage sheds earlier this morning. Although we aren't sure what's in it, there's a safe bet he was murdered over the contents."

Helene nodded in agreement, she was eager to see what may have been a motive for a televised murder. Taking a pair of scissors, Calculus opened the bag and produced a leather notebook. Helene groaned, "Bloody hell, another notebook?"

Grabbing hold if it, she shrieked and reeled back in surprise when the cover gave off an electric shock. Austin whistled, "Great snakes, a notebook that shocks anyone besides the owner. Is it another piece of last Torchwood technology?"

Haddock shook his head, as far as he knew no such thing ever existed, bit if the owner had access to the right kind of tools, then in theory such a device could be cobbled together. Calculus attempted to short-circuit the device by hooking it up to a generator. It worked a little to well as the room began to get smoky.

Opening a window, Haddock conjectured, "Well, at least it worked. Now what in thundering typhoons was that Skaro-forsaken sea gherkin fooling around with?" Striding over the open notebook, he picked it up with a fishing rod and laid it on the table. Gesturing for Helene and Tintin to join him, they slowly opened the inside cover.

The notebook contained lists of names and dates. The writing was difficult to read, but it was obvious that blackmail was possibly involved. The question was now: how on Earth did Wagner get his hands on something insanely high tech? Continuing to leaf through the pages, they saw a rather interesting note.

"… sent of another shipment to the Skaro cult, in exchange for information regarding Torchwood Europa members…Caan nearly killed me, so I am laying low here in Milan, my employer is such a diva….new orders to assassinate H. D…. I have no idea who that is, my employer says…"

Helene and Augustin shuddered, Wagner was an assassin. Not only was he targeting them, but he knew about Torchwood. To make matters worse, he had unfinished business. Calculus shook his head and commented that espionage was dangerous territory in this day and age. Haddock began asking Cuthbert if they shouldn't phone Thompson and Thomson for extra protection. Snowy wanted to shred the notebook, and Tintin was having a go of it chasing the excited terrier around the lab.

In the middle of the action, Helene sat down on a stool, and looked at the note herself. Running the cryptic note through her mind, she decided that while Wager/Belloq may have been behind the botched deliveries to the Cybermen Imperfecta, it was a stretch to say he was a great assassin. H.D., who was that? As she mused, she felt the room spin around her at top speed, before she felt herself falling back onto the floor, unaware she was weeping silently.

Tintin managed to catch her as Snowy rounded the corner yet again, and careened into a wooden cabinet. Yelping in surprise, the terrier trotted over to his master and mistress. Helping Helene up, Tintin inquired, "Are you all right? You're trembling…" Embracing her, he could feel her tense up. Suddenly, he realized what was bothering her. Nothing really bothered her unless it involved her or her mother.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll find out who ordered the hit," he whispered soothingly. Calculus tilted his head and wondered aloud why such a little note would bother her. Haddock grabbed at the book. "Barnacles, its Helene! Somebody wants Helene Dupont dead, damn iconoclast."

Helene glanced up at Tintin, "Why does somebody want me dead? I've never killed anybody in my life." Augustin replied he had no idea either, but he was determined to find out who the real mastermind was.

Over lunch, Calculus told Snape about what they had found out. He left out the part about the Torchwood hits. Bianca decided it was time to leave Marlinspike, there was too much drama going on for her tastes. She and Irma left as soon as lunch was over for a nearby hotel.

As soon as they left, Augustin inquired to him, "You can drop the act now, Helene and I know that Harkness sent you to help investigate the Tesseract machines. You're not Severus Snape, who are you?"

Chuckling, the tall man removed a clip from a jacket pocket, and standing in his place was a one eyed, salmon skinned alien. Calculus breathed, "As I live and breath, Dalek Sec! It has been to long, my friend."

Sec smiled, and shook hands with everyone. Haddock told the Dalek about what they had found and about the standing hit on Helene. The hybrid paled slightly, "Poor girl, I have no idea who is the mastermind behind this, but whoever it is has set in motion an even bigger game. I suggest we travel to Syldavia, rescue Caan and then see what we learn."

That night, Helene couldn't sleep at all, her nerves were shot and for good reason. Who would want her dead? Was it something to do with Mother? That would be a fine revenge, killing the daughter of the woman you loved. According to Haddock and Calculus, Rosamund had attracted many suitors besides Haddock and Sakarin. Tapping her fingers on the windowsill, she paused. Was it possible that Sakarin, despite being in prison on murder and drug running charges, still had access to some of the technology form when he still worked at Torchwood?

She began to cry, were they nothing but pawns in his complex, sadistic game of revenge against Haddock and her mother? Tintin roused himself when he noticed Helene had not come back to bed. Approaching her, he wiped away her tears and kissed her softly. Once she was cuddled in his arms, she whispered, "I know who ordered the hit on me, Augustin."

Nodding, he replied, "It's Sakarin, isn't it?" Helene nodded, and threw herself against him for protection. Pulling the duvet closer, Tintin privately swore to do everything to protect Helene. As she drifted off, Helene promised herself she would kill Sakarin before he got the chance to kill her.


	15. Chapter 15: Two Week's Notice

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the plot. Did you enjoy the murder mystery? Don't forget to leave reviews.

Suggested Soundtrack: Ice Dance/Overture- Edward Scissorhands, Love Pledge and The Arena- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

Chapter 15: Two Week's Notice

The next morning, Helene was hardly feeling any better. She and Augustin searched the maritime gallery for any clues regarding Wagner's assassin, but to no avail. The whole murder wasn't adding up, somehow Torchwood tech had to be involved. Snowy found the answer lying amongst the trashed chandelier. A small, metallic disk that emitted a sputtering aura of light buzzed a sharp snap-hiss when Snowy pawed at it. Helene picked it up cautiously, and disappeared! Yelping in surprise, she reappeared thirty seconds later not three feet from where she had been standing.

"Great snakes, a teleporter! By the looks of it, it's been broken for sometime- I wonder if Calculus can tell us something about it," Tintin surmised as he took it from Helene. She nodded; she wanted this to be cleared up once and for all. Making their way to the laboratory, Helene wondered, "So, if Sakarin was the one to kill Wagner off, why did he plant the note about the hit on me? Is it possible that it's a red herring?"

Upon reaching the laboratory, Haddock growled when he saw the contraption Tintin was holding onto. "Barnacles, it's the teleporter Sakarin used to kill Wagner. I've seen him use it only one other time. That other time was to abduct Rosamund from Torchwood's temporary headquarters outside Rotterdam."

"What? You mean Sakarin abducted mother using this thing? But it's broken! I only teleported three feet when I touched it earlier," Helene argued with Tintin agreeing with her all the way. Haddock acknowledged this but insisted that the one they were holding onto was broken beyond repair.

"A broken teleporter has only two uses, the first is for causing any sort of distraction, the second being teleportation up to six feet from where your standing. A fully functional device is much more dangerous. Those pint size fascists can be disguised to look like just about anything, create illusions and perhaps most dangerous of all, allow the user to be two places at once, without anyone noticing," Haddock explained quietly. Augustin nodded, it made sense that Sakarin would have thrown the broken one away, but wasn't this just a little too messy for him?

Helene inquired to Haddock, "Father? Is it possible that Sakarin and this whole affair regarding Wagner a possible red herring? How are we to know if that note we found wasn't a forgery?" She was pleading; it pained both Haddock and Augustin that she was suffering. However, there were too many coincidences for Sakarin not to be involved in some way.

Stepping into the room, Calculus decided to tell them his initial findings. "Well everyone, I have finished running my diagnostic tests on everything found regarding the Cybermen Imperfecta and Wagner's murder. It was indeed a case of foul play, the bullet left in Wagner's skull came from a Mauser pistol, and according to Nestor Sakarin always carried one with him. Also, after analyzing the handwriting in the journals and the note, both were consistent with Wagner's handwriting style. I am sorry, Helene, but it seems like Sakarin has ordered your death warrant." He patted her hands sympathetically.

Gazing out the window into the garden, Tintin surmised, "So Sakarin is involved, let's say. Why the public murder? It's too messy, when he was after the Unicorn; he was hands off and playing the puppet master. Why now? I think it's not who Helene is, just maybe it's about something else altogether." Striding over to Helene, he picked up her necklace and wrapped his arms around her.

Helene gulped, "It's never been about us, it's about the Tesseract machines. Augustin and I never found out about them, but maybe Sakarin did. I think my necklace may be the key to all of this."

Calculus nodded seriously, "If that is indeed the case, then I believe we need to teach our darling Helene a few skills that should come in handy when we go rescue Caan. First, I think we should get our esteemed Sec to tell us more about Helene's necklace."

Dalek Sec knew very little about Helene's necklace, but said that he had heard of something like it being a key to an extremely powerful, but lost bit of technology. The mention of the word 'key' made Helene jump up! "On the Tesseract machines, there's a slot by the main keyboards- these pendants could contain information on them!"

"Yes, but information about what? Sakarin was keen on killing both me and Haddock for the Unicorn, who knows what he's capable of doing to you if he finds out we know what will make them work," Tintin queried, relaxing his grip around his wife. Haddock concluded that instead of cowering, it was time to take the fight in the offensive.

With this in mind, Calculus made plans to travel to Syldavia in a little over two weeks to see the rocket launch. Tintin and Helene's editor gave them his blessing for the moon launch travelogue. All there was left to do was to teach Helene the finer points of archery, marksmanship, self defense and first aid. Tintin and Snowy volunteered with the self defense and first aid while Haddock volunteered for the other topics.

Thompson and Thomson were brought up to speed with everything, and while a great deal worried about what their friends had gotten into, they were even more skeptical of Helene's chances of making inroads in her training. Annoyed to no end by this, she proved them wrong three days later by shooting their hats off from a range of 200 yards. Embarrassed, they both apologized and Helene forgave them. By the time the visas arrived, Haddock was out of the wheelchair and was convinced Helene had progressed enough to carry a pistol with her.

The night before leaving the comfort of Belgium for Syldavia, Helene wistfully gazed out over the moonlit gardens. Tintin sat down next to her, and hugged her. "Are you all right? It's been intense, but I think you're ready." Relaxing in his embrace, she commented, "I'm tired of always being afraid. How do you do it, always charging from adventure into another?"

Tintin kissed her softly, "I don't really charge into them, they either find me or I stumble across one. I keep going because I know I have friends that will help me if I get into trouble. I am currently in the largest adventure of my life." Scooping her into his arms, he carried her over to the bed and held her close.

"Recently, a childhood friend of mine returned and she had changed. We met when we were children and she was the bravest, loudest, prettiest girl I had ever met. When she returned, I noticed she had changed. She had grown into a brilliant, beautiful young woman, but her heart had hardened somewhat, she had lost sight in one of her eyes and was dead set on proving herself to everyone, even though they already believed in her," he whispered, stroking her hair. Knowing full well he was talking about her, Helene asked, "Did this friend ever tell him how she felt?"

"Yes, she told me how she felt, and I felt- fell the same way. We found her father and uncle, and they got married," Tintin finished, leaning in closer to Helene. Kissing her with all the love and respect he had for her, they shared the moment for as long as possible, until Helene fell into a contented slumber and Tintin not too far off.


	16. Chapter 16: Eastward & Upwards!

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for Helene and the plotline. The next few chapters might look familiar if you haven't read the space travel comics (I haven't) but there will be major differences given this is a slight crossover with Torchwood and the gang has to rescue Dalek Caan. Please leave reviews.

Suggested Soundtrack: Departing Coruscant- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Lothlorien- Enya, Princess Leia's Theme- Star Wars: A New Hope

Chapter 16: Eastwards and Upwards

The next morning beckoned the group with a fair amount of trepidation. It had been three years since Tintin and the Thom(p)sons had been to Syldavia, and Helene, Haddock and Sec had never been there. Helene inquired about it, partially to calm her own fears. Smiling gently Augustin told her, "There's nothing to fear, you're ready to reclaim who you are. Syldavia is quite safe, that I can assure you." Kissing her softly, Helene silently amended her husband's opinion. This was her adventure now; time to prove to herself once and for all she was a brave, intelligent woman. Even with the obstacles that lay ahead, she was ready to face them.

The airplane would be flying over Soviet territory, so any refueling would have to happen before reaching the border, or in West Berlin. Calculus said it was silly for a civilian plane to be under suspicion, whatever happened to live and let live? Haddock replied that the Soviets lost that kind of worldview when Stalin took office.

As they flew towards Germany, Tintin pointed out the interesting spots to Helene, much to her delight. Snowy commented, "Glad to see she's excited, but last time we were there, we were shot at and abandoned." Dalek Sec, disguised as Severus Snape, wrote down what everyone was doing as a kind of social observation. During the break, Helene and Tintin went on a small picnic with Snowy. Haddock bought a postcard, before hiding it in his duffel bag. Calculus was trying to divine the arrival time, when the pilot announced it was near departure time.

Boarding back on, Snowy stretched out on top of Augustin and Helene before nodding off. Helene and Tintin decided to tackle the Herald Tribune's daily crossword, as Haddock wrote a personal letter. Calculus was dozing off. Snape was reading a leftover National Geographic magazine.

Haddock's letter was to his ex-girlfriend, Rosamund Dupont. Certainly, he still had a soft spot for her, but doubted if he still really loved her. Certainly, he loved Helene as a daughter; there was no doubt about that. He was mulling over the fact Helene had returned on her own, and had not contacted her mother about her whereabouts. He figured Herge would have something to say about this whole matter, but that could wait. He felt Rosamund needed to know what was going on. The letter read something like this:

"_6 June, 1961_

_My dearest Rosamund,_

_It's been too long since I saw you last- Helene is quite the beauty now! Always knew it would happen, just like her mum. In case your wondering how I came by this, I must inform you that your precious child is under threat from Sakarin. About 5-6 weeks ago, she said she was investigating an abandoned factory outside Brussels, when she found yet another Tesseract machine, and just so happened to rescue Augustin's terrier. Yes, I remember you saying something about the boy who stole Helene's heart. He's an investigative reporter now, and I had them married at Marlinspike just a little over a fortnight ago. _

_I know your still angry with me for wanting to raise Helene here, but her growing up in that parallel universe may have been the best thing for her. Strange events have been picking up around here lately, and I have reason to believe that Sakarin is plotting something. Will keep you updated,_

_Yours,_

_Archibald Haddock"_

He would deliver the postcard later, after they landed. The sun was setting as the plane landed outside of Syldavia's capital city, Klow. The sky was grey and overcast, and every so often, rain would pelt the locals. Helene's brown eyes widened with interest, "So, this is Syldavia?" Tintin nodded and gave Helene a quick introduction to the country, while Calculus phoned the Syldavian Royal Academy of Sciences.

Snape finished gathering the luggage, when Calculus told the group they would be heading out to the launch site within the next two days. There was going to be heavy rains in the countryside, and with limited visibility the trek would be risky. In the meantime, the Academy of Sciences was housing them in Klow's finest hotel.

Once everyone unpacked, Tintin, Helene and Snowy went sightseeing; Snape and Calculus sat in the lobby to play a few games of chess, while Haddock summoned Lady Death and propped the post card up so it would be delivered. Relieved that the clandestine chore was accomplished, Haddock went straight to the bar for a few rounds of Loch Lomond and a hot meal.

The evening dragged on as Haddock was joined by everyone else. Helene and Augustin were discussing their travelogue while Snowy sneaked some Loch Lomond for himself. Haddock returned from the bar just in time to see Snowy drink from his stein. "Barnacles, you iconoclastic canine, that's mine!" he scolded harshly, and dragged Snowy onto the floor. Tintin and Helene thanked him, and ignored Snowy until they went to bed. Once everyone had hit the hay, a thunderstorm rolled in and drowned out any outside noises.

The next morning was decidedly less gloomy, so while Calculus spoke to the Academy all day, Tintin, Helene, Snowy and Haddock played tourists. They toured the local cathedrals, art museums, had lunch at an outdoor bistro, and lingered at an outdoor market. Nearly half the wares being sold were kitschy beyond good taste, but they did make for good photographs. By the time Calculus met them for dinner back at the hotel, he was pleased to hear everything had gone well. Haddock beamed, "If all goes well, we'll rescue Caan and be home free before Sakarin can ruin anything."

Just then, two familiar voices called out to the small crowd, "Hallo there, everyone. So glad we caught you before you left." Tintin and Helene did a double take, Haddock frowned and Calculus just shook his head, the two men standing in the threshold between the bar and lobby were none other than Thompson and Thomson.


	17. Chapter 17: Perceptions of Reality

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Hello again, my loyal fans! Summer classes are going well, and here is Chapter 17. I still own nothing except for Helene and Rosamund. Enjoy!

Suggested Soundtrack: Solo and the Princess- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Lothlorien- Enya, Raider's March- Raiders of the Lost Ark, Doctor Who Theme (2005 edition)

Chapter 17- Perceptions of Reality

Thompson and Thomson were somewhat annoyed about the comrades' less than warm welcome. After learning about Wagner's murder from the Marlinspike police department, the devoted detectives descended upon Marlinspike Hall in double time, and were able to pry an answer out of Nestor, who merely wanted them out of the way while he refurbished the vegetable garden and he had finally gotten up the nerve to ask Bianca Castafiore for her permission to court Irma Leroux. After learning that Haddock, Augustin, Helene, Snowy, Calculus and Snape (aka Dalek Sec) had gone across the Iron Curtain to see a Syldavian lunar rocket launch, the idea of space travel was too good to pass up. Ergo, they had caught the next cross continental train to Syldavia.

Helene and Tintin were the first to recover from the shock. "Well hello there gentlemen, glad to see could join me and Augustin on our travelogue review," Helene cheerfully greeted them as Tintin warmly shook their hands. From his spot under the table Snowy barked and jumped up on them.

Striding over form the bar, Haddock addressed them, "Five's company, but seven's a crowd. I am glad to see you two made here in one piece. Tintin told me you all had a rough go of it, what in thundering typhoons are you doing here?"

Thompson and Thomson explained the situation when the barmaid asked if they wanted dinner. It had been a long day, and neither of the Thom(p)sons had had anything to eat. Calculus ordered a round of goulash for them, and once dinner was served the gang began to chow down. In the middle of the meal, Snowy began to whine because the braised beef in tomato broth smelled so mouthwatering. Because Augustin was discussing plans with Haddock and Calculus about what the rocket launches, Helene could hear Snowy whining for delicious stew. Smiling gently, she took her soup bowl and placed it on the floor.

"Hooray, tasty beef for me! Thank you, Helene," Snowy barked happily as he chowed down on Helene's leftover. Giggling at the fox terrier's raucous behavior, Helene hit her head on the table and bit down on her lip. Hard.

"Ouch! That's the last time I give you leftovers," Helene whimpered as she bit down on her napkin to stop the bleeding. Tintin, who had already finished his dinner, glanced over his wife who biting down on a napkin. He whispered to her, "Helene, are you all right?" She nodded, and explained her minor mishap feeding Snowy leftovers. Chuckling, he explained that she really shouldn't be feeding Snowy leftovers. Helene gave him a sharp 'I know that, you idiot.' look while blushing bright red. Lacing his fingers with her his, the bid the others a good night and turned in. Snowy trotted behind them, content and happy to have eaten in piece.

The next morning, the rain system had moved south well beyond the launch site, and a 1947 Jeep was waiting for the group outside the hotel. Stepping out of the driver's seat was none other than a clean shaven and unusually alert Jack Harkness. "Good morning everyone, glad to see you all made it." He was going to greet Tintin and Helene, but Haddock ran interference and gave his a sharp look.

Harkness frowned, "Really, Haddock- you too? You are as bad as the Doctor when it comes to greeting people." Calculus scolded the American, "Well, you do have a way of shamelessly flirting with people, regardless of marital status. Anyway what is your alias anyway?"

Turning to the group, Harkness introduced himself as a Mister John Barrowman from MIT. He would be there escort to the launch site, located south of the Ural Mountains. Along the drive, Barrowman explained to the Thom(p)sons that a few years ago, miners in the area had discovered an unusual amount of uranium and the Syldavian government was interested in using it for civilian purposes. Helene mused how many Cybermen and Daleks could run on pure uranium, and Tintin replied he doubted that any could, if at all. Sec merely shook his head and commented that it was radiation that drove the Dalek race into the metal chambers for which they were infamously recognized. Gazing longingly at Sec, Barrowman murmured, "Really Sec, as a human you really quite tasty."

Tintin and Helene blushed uncomfortably at the innuendo, and Haddock smacked the American upside the head. Thompson scolded him, "Really Haddock! You should know better than to assault an eccentric American." Thomson nodded in agreement. Haddock growled in distaste before downing an entire litre of Loch Lomond he had smuggled along. Arriving at the launch site, which turned out to be located on a NATO military base they were greeted by a lanky German technician who referred to himself as Wolff. As Tintin escorted a rosy cheeked Helene from the back seats, Wolff's eyes fluttered slightly over the lovely girl in their presence before turning back to Barrowman.

"Ah, Mister Barrowman- there you are! We got word you were en route, who is your tour group," he inquired curiously. Barrowman boasted, "My dear, Franklin- these are friends of mine from Belgium. This is Captain Haddock, his daughter Helene, her husband Tintin, their dog Snowy, and you already know Calculus. The officers are Thompson and Thomson of Scotland Yard's Belgium division, and this tall fellow is Inspector General Severus Snape of Interpol." Everyone shook the German's hands, but it was Helene who really captured his eye. She felt uncomfortable, and let him know it by giving him a hard pinch and pulling a surprised Augustin into a passionate, heated kiss that lasted no less than five minutes. Grinning, the newlyweds smirked at Wolff and Barrowman showed them around the base.

Because of the extra guests, Tintin and Helene would have to share a room, despite the fact they were only engaged and not really married. Haddock considered them married, but was planning a public ceremony in Ghent once Caan was rescued. Once everyone one the day shift had retired, the group called it a day. Helene kept her underwear on and was snuggled contently in Augustin's arms as they fell into a deep sleep. Snowy curled up at the foot of the bed, exhausted after the long and bumpy car ride out to the military installation.

Not long after midnight, Helene woke up in a slight daze. She was convinced she heard something over the radar room, which happened to be next door to where she and Tintin were crashing. Pulling on her white linen slip, she stepped out into the hallway and poked her head into the room. Two soldiers were talking about a blip on the radar screen, when all of a sudden the blip disappeared. A plane crash!

"Now that's what I'm talking about," she whispered loudly. Running towards an open door, Helene ran out towards a small bushfire not a tenth of a mile from a runway outside the launch area. The area where the plane had crashed was near some small cliffs overlooking an arid riverbed. As she climbed up the rough faced rocks, her right caught sight of someone lurking amongst the rocks. Heart racing rapidly, she ran up to where she had seen him and stopped dead. The pilot was crouching over a steam vent and taking notes.

"Bloody hell, a spy! Hey you, get away from there," she shouted and pounced on the troop. The pilot was taken aback by the nymph attacking him at 1 in the morning. Stepping aside, Helene tripped after misjudging the ground before the man savagely threw her back against the rock, leaving her unconscious and bloody. Of course, sirens began to blare and voices could be heard via the vent. The trooper made a run for it, and once he was far enough away he doused himself in gasoline and lit a match.

The night guards, who had heard the argument, or lack there, alerted Barrowman about the strike and a contingent of troops were sent out. Wolff was the first one when he saw something lying next to the vent, the bruised and bloody body of Helene Dupont. Placing her into the boot, they dove off as fast as possible to the infirmary.

Meanwhile back on base, Tintin was woken up by a frantic Haddock. "Crumbs, what's going on Captain? Have we found Caan yet? Wait, where's Helene?" Standing up, he reached for his pistol before Haddock embraced him. "It's terrible, Tintin! Helene found a spy, and she's in the infirmary! Damn sea gherkin, attacking my little girl!" Tintin felt faint, who would attack his wife, was it somebody hired by Sakarin? Quickly throwing in his shoes, both men rushed to the infirmary.

Once they got there, they were greeted by a British surgeon. She smiled at them, "Ah, you must Miss Dupont's fiancée and father. I am Doctor Martha Jones, and I have examined Helene. She was very lucky indeed not to have been raped, running around in her skivvies like that. But that is beside the point. Helene took a nasty blow to the head and is suffering from a concussion. I have given her some pain medication and she is sleeping soundly right now. She'll be better after a few hours of sleep. Right now though, you should see her." They thanked the good doctor and rushed over to the bed.

Helene's forehead was bandaged, and she was sleeping soundly. Tintin let out a great sigh of relief before collapsing at her side. Kissing her softly, she stroked her hair away from her forehead, before falling asleep in the chair next to her bed. Haddock nodded, and fell asleep outside in the waiting room.


	18. Chapter 18: Respite for the Weary

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Hey there, here is Chapter 18. I am currently reading the space travel comics, so hopefully everything sounds okay after I write these next few chapters. Enjoy. Ianto finally makes a comeback this chapter, so be aware there will be male slash!

Suggested Soundtrack: Princess Leia's them- Star Wars: A New Hope, Exploration- Coraline, I Dreamed a Dream- Les Miserables, Arrietty's Song- The Secret World of Arrietty, Mandolin Concerto in C RV 425- Vivaldi

Chapter 18: Respite for the Weary

Helene slowly woke up when she felt something rearrange itself on her stomach. Sitting up slowly to prevent any onsets of dizziness, she recognized the room as part of the infirmary. _What am I doing here? The last I think I remember is sneaking out to find that moronic spy, but… I tripped and then I hit my head! Who found me;_ she wondered as realized it was Snowy sleeping on top of her. She stroked his furry head softly, and sat up straighter. Next to her bed, Tintin was still sleeping. Had he been there the whole night? He and Haddock must have been worried sick!

Stepping onto the frigid tile flooring, she knelt next to Augustin and kissed him softly. His ice blue eyes fluttered open, and he returned this sweet kiss. Rising to his feet, he held Helene close and stroked her hair, begging her not to worry him like that anymore. Helene giggled and replied she would try her best, but wouldn't guarantee anything. Just then, a sharply dressed orderly showed a haggard looking Haddock into the room.

Laughing, he embraced the youngsters, "Barnacles, your awake! Damn it, Helene- you had us worried sick! What were you thinking, running after the spy like that? I was so afraid we lost you, luv. Promise me you won't do that when you and Tintin are expecting the next generation of Haddock's in utero, all right?" Giggling, Helene promised that she would be more careful.

After breakfast, Helene caught the Thom(p)sons up on what she had seen. They were happy to see her up and about, but Calculus was worried about what the spy might have found. "If the spy had found anything, the mission to the moon is in jeopardy. Not to mention, plans to rescue Dalek Caan from the moon. In the meantime, I propose to keep working on preparing for a dry launch to see if my model rocket will work. Helene and Tintin, I am still working on equipment for Snowy, but I am worried he won't cooperate with the scientists, could you please assist me?"

Helene nodded eagerly; the whole situation was fascinating to her. Tintin also agreed, after last night's accident, he wasn't letting Helene anywhere out of his sight, as much as he could anyway. With the youngsters away, Haddock and the Thompsons were left to their own devices. As they were leaving the cafeteria, they were stopped by Wolff. "Oh, Captain Haddock! I wanted to say how happy I am to hear Miss Helene has recovered, and I wanted to apologize about my behavior towards her. Anyway, we're running a test involving the spacesuits, and I was wondering if one of you three would like to volunteer?"

Thompson piped up, "Look here, old bean. We're got to investigate Helene's assault, so Haddock's your fellow." Thomson nodded in agreement, and they ran off in the opposite direction, leaving an irate Haddock. "Blistering barnacles come back here you tribe of Polynesians! You both are officially disinvited from Tintin and Helene's wedding, along with the christenings of my future grandchildren," he ranted after them.

Oblivious to the Captain's anger, Wolff chatted, "Never mind them, you'll be fine. After all, Barrowman said that you are quite the accomplished sailor." Haddock nodded and inquired about what else Wolff had heard about him from Barrowman? As it turned out, Barrowman/Harkness had not said much beyond what was generally known about the group. Relieved by this revelation, Haddock cheered up and went along with it.

Across campus, Snowy was set up in a space suit, not at all thrilled with a multiplex helmet being placed over his head. "Stop it; do I look like a Cyberman Imperfecta? Sec told us all about the Daleks, do I look like a Dalek," he ranted angrily as the radio wailed with his barks registered. "That's a sure thing, the radio works," Augustin confirmed as Helene found a beef bone lying on one of the tables. Showing it to Snowy, she promised it to him if he cooperated. Wagging his tail, the excited fox terrier set a new land speed record around the lab much to the delight of the scientists. After he was freed, Snowy went right for the bones and gave the humans a satisfied smirk. At that moment, Calculus walked in, and smiled.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Snowy has taken to his suit. Tintin, Helene, have you seen where Haddock has wandered off to," the professor inquired. Tintin and Helene admitted that they weren't sure where Haddock was, so they decided to try to find him. As it turned out, they found him in the cafeteria berating the Thom(p)sons over their irrational fear of mice. Seeing the rest of the group, he waved to them and explained about giving the spacesuit a dry run test in one of the laboratories. It was only taking the suit off did he realize that there were several escaped lab rats still running around. They escaped into the control room and gave the Thom(p)sons a fright! It was over lunch when Tintin inquired where Snape, was.

Turning around, Snapeand the Thom(p)sons entered, in high spirits. Explaining to the gathered group that they had been exploring the area near the vent, they had found a list of coordinates that lined up with an area 20 miles due north of Mare Sereintas. It was a possible lead to where Dalek Cann was being holed up. Helene smiled, "About time, I was wondering how we were going to rescue Caan in the first place."

Tintin theorized that while the whole rocket launch would be excellent for expanding the boundaries of known science and a way to use nuclear energy away from making bombs like the Americans and Russians, the covert operation of rescuing the stranded Dalek while performing science experiments at the lunar base camp for two weeks was going to be tricky. There would only be enough room for the crew and 1 canine, and the extra Dalek was going to complicate matters. However, Caan did have information regarding Sakarin and the Tesseract machines, so the rescue mission would have to planned out just as carefully as the launch progressed.

After lunch, there was a general announcement from Mister Baxter, the real head of the outpost and the only person higher in rank than Harkness, that there was going to be a fancy dress ball that evening to lighten the moods of the troops and personnel. Costumes were drawn by lottery, and this is what everyone picked:

Helene Dupont: Fantine (formalwear/finest outfit)- Les Miserables

Tintin: Jean Valjean (formalwear)- Les Misreables

Captain Haddock- Sweeny Todd

Professor Calculus- Sir Issac Newton

Thompson- Lord Melbourne

Thomson- Napoleon Bonaparte

Severus Snape/Dalek Sec- British Officer with horse

Snowy- himself

Harkness- Nero

Needless to say, the costumes were the source of many comments. Haddock thought the youngsters would be a fine Fantine and Valjean. Helene and Tintin couldn't stop laughing over Haddock playing the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Calculus was worried Harkness would make an ass of himself as Nero, and Thompson and Thomson were happy about their choices. The only person who thought he was wronged was Dalek Sec, he did not want to be an army officer, he would have been happier going as the actual Severus Snape.

"The actual Severus Snape, is a character in the book series I am supposedly from, _Harry Potter_, would be fine reading for Haddock's grandchildren when they're old enough," the alien mused thoughtfully as Barrowman readjusted his toga. Just then, a swell of show music played over the loud speakers. Showtime!

Doctor Smith, dressed as Josephine Baker, was lounging on the stage of the reception hall, wistfully crooning "_I Dreamed a Dream_" when who should enter but a happy and blushing Jean Valjean and Fantine, aka Tintin and Helene. Snowy trotted behind them before bounding up to the stage, entranced by Martha's singing. She was loads better than Castafiore, as far as he was concerned. Waltzing slowly to the song, Helene sighed contentedly in Tintin's arms as the music whisked them far away. Halfway through the song, Sweeny Todd strode into the room just in time to see Tintin and Helene dancing to the bittersweet song. As the song continued, Haddock recalled dancing to the same song with Rosamund. They were undercover in Amsterdam; they had been in love then, as Tintin and Helene were now. "We are at winter now, dear Rosamund. May Tintin and Helene stay in deepest summer," he commented as the song ended.

Making his way across the floor, he flashed the blades dangerously and grinned psychotically as Sweeny Todd would. "Care for a have, Lord Melbourne? I guarantee it'll be the closest one you've ever had," he joked to Thompson. The Scotland Yard detective shook his head, "No, thanks. Wait, is that you Haddock? You are quite convincing as Sweeny Todd. Thomson, old bean! Come over here and take a look, Napoleon. See, a real look alike." The French dictator nodded.

All three were chatting over the costume choices, when Calculus joined them. "Well, this is quite a sight. Sweeny Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, with Lord Melbourne and Napoleon. Can a 17th century physicist join you for drinks? Oh, where are Fantine and Valjean- I mean Tintin and Helene?" Haddock replied the couple was still on the floor. Just then a timid sounding voice interrupted, "Excuse me, gentlemen but could you please tell me where I could find my date, Mister Jack Harkness?"

All four turned around to see a finely dressed young man clad in a white tunic as a Greician youth! It was Ianto! "Ianto, what is Skaro's name are you doing here? Why aren't you in prison," Calculus hissed as Snape charged into the throng. The Dalek hybrid explained Ianto was granted immunity for testifying against Raquel at his trial. After the apology, Haddock clapped the young man on the back, and sent him towards Nero.

Back on the dance floor, Martha was gracing Wolff with her company while Tintin and Helene were taking a breather. As they complied their leftovers to feed Snowy, a voice called softly to them, "Mister and Missus Berlioz? I wanted to apologize for my behavior a month and half ago. I wasn't quite myself," Ianto wept. Tintin smiled gently, "It's all right Ianto, Cuthbert told us all about you and Harkness back when you two were still part of Torchwood. Helene and I were about to go back onto the dance floor. I think Hrkness is still there."

Helene confirmed her husband's statement, and as they walked amongst the crowd Ianto correctly guessed who they were. The band struck up another waltz, this one was laced with leitmotifs. Once again, Fantine and Valjean were dancing close together, while Ianto made his way carefully to find towards Nero.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Barrowman turned around and smiled at the young man standing in front of him. Offering him his arm, he asked, "May I have this dance? You seem familiar, and I am tired of Valjean and Fantine having all the fun." Ianto smiled and led Harkness in a tender waltz. As they looped around the stage around room, Tintin nudged Helene and she smiled softly, "I'm glad they found each other again." Tintin nodded, before kissing her sweetly. As the music swelled into a crescendo, Harkness frowned, "Who are you, stranger? I feel as if I-" he was parted by a warm pair of lips caressing his. Pulling away, he breathed, "Ianto? Can it be?"

Ianto smiled, eyes tearing. Jack Harkness laughed and pulled his lover towards him for another sweet, passionate kiss. Making their way back towards the others, Barrowman said to his friends, "Lady and gentlemen, and canine, I would like to introduce my paramour and boyfriend, Ianto Jones. Ianto, these are my former associates."

Ianto nodded to them and said to Tintin, "You're a very lucky man; Helene is very much the spitting image of her mother. Don't lose her." Tintin nodded, "I don't intend to and I'll see to that."


	19. Chapter 19: Amnesia Part 1

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for Helene and the plotline. On with the story!

Suggested Soundtrack: Solo and the Princess- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Talk of Podracing- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, The Racer Roars to Life- The Phantom Menace, Imperial March- The Empire Strikes Back

Chapter 19: Amnesia! Part 1

The next morning came around, and Tintin and Helene were finally allowed access to what they had been writing about, the X-FLR 6 moon rocket. Driving them out to the launch pad with Haddock and Calculus, Wolff was chattering away about the plans underway.

"Ahead of us, lady and gentlemen is our moon rocket. As you can see, it's modeled of the American Saturn V-8 rockets used during the war and with Soviet and American governments jealously guarding their technology; we are using an older model. It isn't completed yet: in fact it won't be ready until the end of the month. Aha, here we are," he stalled the car 50 feet from the building site.

Once everyone was out, Helene let out a whistle and started taking photographs. The rocket, even its uncompleted state was something to marvel at. From the ends of the tail to the end of the nosecone, the machine was no less than 100 feet tall and at least 45 feet wide at the middle. Truly an impressive machine was the rocket!

Helene murmured, "It's breathtaking, just where technology has taken the human race in the last century! Augustin, isn't this just breath taking?" Placing his free arm around her shoulders while he jotted down a rough sketch of the rocket, he heartily agreed. Next to the star struck couple, Snowy plopped down. The fox terrier looked up at the suspension fins, to the door and up and up some more. He was a small dog and the rocket was gigantic, he had to stand on his hind legs to just see the utmost top of the rocket.

"Yow, that's hurting my neck just looking at this thing. I hope Tintin and Helene are done staring at it," Snowy complained as his human companions left the area to join Haddock and Calculus for an interior tour. Calculus waved to them and explained that he had finalized the crew for the launch. It included him, Haddock, Tintin, Helene, Snowy and Wolff.

"If the Thom(p)sons and Sec are staying here, what about Dalek Sec, Harkness and Ianto," Augustin inquired while Helene held Snowy in her arms. At that moment, they were riding the elevator up to the rocket's main door. Wolff had been called back to the base for a meeting with Baxter. Haddock replied it was better if they did stay behind because there was most likely going to be limited room and Harkness and Ianto would be caught _in flagrente delicto _ as soon as they were en route. Calculus also pointed out that Sec was investigating the spy angle, and this would keep the real reason for the mission under wraps.

The elevator doors opened and they all stepped into the circular control room. Brightly lit panels and buttons of all kinds lit up and beeped like an angry R2D2 when they were turned on. Calculus explained that where they were was the radio and control room. Behind them, a work crew was busy placing steel sheets and electric wiring around stainless steel frames. Haddock was eyeing the equipment, "I have to admit, Calculus has really outdone himself this." He walked towards Snowy when Calculus roughly pulled him back.

"My stars, can't you watch where your going- or are you too inebriated to see you were about to fall into the living area," Calculus shouted. Haddock was about to smack the professor something new when he saw the large holes in the floor! So did Snowy, who panicked and ran back to Tintin and Helene.

Apologizing, Calculus continued the tour by having everyone climb down the ladder into the living area. There were four bunk beds, two on each side of the room. The northern wall was home to a bookshelf and there was a lavatory inside a closet running along the southern wall. One of the bunks was somewhat wider, obviously meant for the newly weds. Helene idly fingered the sheets, and was surprised and how soft they were. Calling to Tintin, she told him about the conspicuous choice of their bedding.

Tintin walked over to her and agreed quietly, "I think this was one of Harkness's ideas, the sheets are Egyptian cotton." His fingers wove themselves in Helene's hair as he pulled her close for a kiss. Snowy rolled his eyes, what was it with humans and being in love? Haddock, who was ignoring Calculus's lecture about the layout, caught the kissing couple.

Coughing, he inquired, "Can't leave you two alone for five minutes. Nothing to be ashamed of, but I don't want the iconoclast mad at all of us." Tintin and Helene broke of the kiss, and blushed. Following Calculus and carrying Snowy, they continued the tour.

That is until Haddock learned that the alcohol rations on board were low for a very good reason!

"You bashi-bazouk, do you mean to poison me with the lack of alcohol? What is this coming to when you can't even find anything on your own? Bleeding nanny-goat," he shouted angrily. This did it. Fuming, Calculus stomped over to him, eyes glowering in rage.

"Playing the goat am I? Are you forgetting sir that I was the one who hired you to work for Torchwood Europa all those years ago? Who was it that rescued Rosamund, your beloved, from Ghent's train station on the God-forsaken stormiest night of the year? It was me! Am I playing the goat to create this rocket, to improve humanity and find a proper use for nuclear energy before the Americans and Soviets destroy us all? Or, the added fact that Dalek Caan is the only one who holds the key to saving your daughter's life? Have you forgotten that Sakarin wants her dead? Helene Dupont, your daughter and heir apparent to Marlinspike Hall! Of all the nerve, Haddock," he ranted wildly.

During his speech, Haddock had openly apologized and was going to get Calculus to calm down, but before he could the esteemed professor fell through the open door hole with a tremendous thud!

"Professor! Are you all right," Tintin called after him as Helene climbed down and helped Calculus to his feet. She shouted he was alive, and the others hurried down to see him. Helping Calculus into a chair, Helene handed him a cup of water. Taking it from her, he smiled and adjusted his glasses, "Thank you, but who are you? Where am I? Young man, your wife is a kind woman- she'll make for a fine mother. Oh, but what is going on?"

Haddock telephoned for Wolff and once the Center doctors took a look at him they came up with the same conclusion: short term amnesia. Baxter was most anxious to have Calculus's memory restored. Wolff was the most worried of all, to Tintin and Helene it was as though his demeanor had changed completely. Thompson and Thomson decided to investigate Wolff while Haddock, Tintin and Helene worked to restore Calculus's memory.


	20. Chapter 20: Amnesia Part 2

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for Helene and the plotline. On with the story!

Suggested Soundtrack: Dreaming- Coraline, Doctor Who Theme- Doctor Who, Evenstar- Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Chapter 20: Amnesia! Part 2

With the launch date fast approaching, there were no leads as to who the spy was and to complicate matters was Calculus's amnesia. Tintin and Helene would go out on walks with him and tell them who he was along with the people he knew and cared about. They attempted to talk about his past missions with Torchwood Europa, the Cybermen Imperfecta, his crush of Castafiore! Alas, all their valiant efforts fell flat. If anything, Calculus was convinced they were science fiction writers and insisted that they start writing down their stories or they would lose out to BBC. Truth be told, BBC was starting a science fiction series to debut that Christmas entitled _The Star Warriors: Rebellion of Alderaan_.

Haddock thought that 8 days of long walks and memory jogging was taking to long, so he decided to shock the professor into regaining his memory. The question was to find something so shocking it would work on first try! His first idea was to dress up as a British soldier and charge at Calculus. This backfired when Calculus scolded him for deserting his post at Buckingham. Before everyone turned in for the night, Haddock attempted to take a picture with a trick camera but the snake came out the wrong end!

After breakfast, a lit firecracker exploded at the wrong moment leaving a scorch mark! At his wits' end, Haddock wept about not being able to save Helene from Sakarin's death warrant. Slamming the door, a piece of plaster hit Calculus on the noggin!

"Wait a minute! I remember…what am I doing here? Where are Tintin and Helene," he muttered as he began to wander around to figure out where he was. A loud groaning echoed from the door in front of him, and he quietly opened the door… only to catch Ianto and Jack in flagrente delicto!

Apologizing profusely, he quickly closed the door when he remembered everything!

Racing quickly to Baxter's office, he happily announced the good news! Helene and Tintin cheerfully toasted him, the Thom(p)sons and Sec patted him on the back and Ianto and Jack raised a round to his good health.

The good news spread like wildfire, and that very morning Baxter held a news conference. According to him, Calculus had made a miraculous recovery and the launch would go on as planned. The warm, clear weather continued and the launch was set for June 30 at 1:34 in the morning.

The night before leaving, Sec and the Thom(p)sons were sneaking around when the saw Wolff lurking about the radar room. That was strange, what was Wolff doing at this time of night? He should have been asleep like the others. Poking their faces into the narrow doorway, they could see the face of Colonel Jorgen speaking. So, Wolff was the spy! Calculus would be heartbroken!

Racing towards the carpool, Sec told them they needed to stow away. 'Whatever for, there will plenty of time to warn them. It's an afternoon launch anyway. Come on, old bean," Thompson told Snape and the two Scotland Yard officers set up camp inside the rocket. Snape shook his head; well they were in for it now!

A Rolls Royce pulled up as the denim clad Captain Haddock, Tintin, Helene, Professor Calculus and Wolfe were sealed inside the ship. Once they were all lying down on their bunks, the radio tower contacted them.

"Radio Tower to Rocket, do you copy? Over."

"Rocket to Control, this is Helene. We're all ready to leave. Shall I put Haddock on, over?"

"Haddock here, over. We're all ready to go. Over."

"All right, lady and gentlemen. God's speed and good luck!"

"Clear landing pad! Begin countdown sequence."

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"0! Liftoff, we have liftoff! Rocket X-FLR 6, you have cleared the tower!"

On the other end, the crew was having a rough go off it. Calculus had already passed out, and Haddock was complaining about being crushed to death by Daleks. Helene let out a pained cry and clung to Tintin. "Tintin, everything's going black! What's happening," she whispered. Tintin kissed her softly, "We will wake up, don't worry." A violent spasm erupted throughout the ship, leading Helene unconsciousness. Before blacking out himself, Tintin swore that they would get through this, all of them.


	21. Chapter 21: Subconscious Reconciliation

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I only own Helene and her mother, Rosamund. All other characters belong to George Remi, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Russell T Davies, BBC, BBC America and 20th Century Fox. Enjoy the update! Death from the Sandman saga makes an appearance here, she belongs to Neil Gaiman.

Suggested Soundtrack: Princess Leia's theme- John Williams, Mechanical Lullaby- Coraline, Doctor Who theme, Lothlorien-Enya

Chapter 21: Subconscious Reconciliation

Somewhere in the murky dimensions between the conscious and subconscious, Helene found herself wide awake and alert. Standing up, she shouted out into the misty surrounding, "Hello? Is anyone here?" She could hear nothing but the chirping of crickets. The faint smell of freshly brewed tea led her along an overgrown path. There was no sun, but something had to be lighting the area. The trees were seemingly charred, but Helene could hear cuckoos and blue jays twittering in the branches above her.

"I'm in such a strange, sunless land. Is this Limbo, my subconscious or something else," she mused as she ambled up towards a large cabin perched above a patch of dried, grey grass. There were lamps visible from the windows, when a cheerful looking girl greeted her. Her house dress was lace tulle, her wild black hair was braided and she bore a silver ankh! It was Death.

Confused, she asked if they had died from the violent G forces. Death chuckled, "No, none of you are dead yet. The G forces just knocked you out, not a pleasant feeling. Come on in, the others are waiting." Wondering just who else was there, Helene let Death show her into the den where she saw Tintin and Snowy having a lively conversation with her mother!

Standing up when he heard someone enter, Tintin greeted his wife with a tender kiss. Helene smiled, "I see you made it as well. Tintin, where are we?" Leading her back to the loveseat, Augustin explained that they were in Death's realm for a temporary respite.

Rosamund smiled at her daughter, "I have been catching up with Augustin while we waited for you. Darjeeling, sweetheart? I remember when you were both small children running around the Kempinski lobby in Stalingrad, such an excitable child. I was happy to see you two are married now. I got Haddock's postcard. I just want you two to know how happy I am for you."

Resting her head on Augustin's shoulder, Helene inquired, "Professor Calculus told me about how he and Jack Harkness picked you up at the train station in Ghent on the stormiest night of the year. Now that you're here, please tell us, mother. Who is my biological father? Is it Archibald Haddock or Diedrich Sakarin?"

Rosamund frowned; she was sensitive about the subject and never told anyone about it, even Death and Herge. But, with Sakarin's death warrant hanging over Helene's head and the rescue mission for Dalek Caan under way, this was the time to tell. Smoothing out the pleats of her grey skirt, the older woman let out a sigh from the bowels of her soul, and began to tell her daughter and son in law the truth.

"I never told anyone who your father was out of fear, not only for myself and you, but for all of Torchwood. You see, Helene, the night you were conceived, I made love twice. The first time was with Haddock in the back seat of Sec's American roadster, and the second time… I was raped by Sakarin after presenting him with divorce papers. The next thing I remembered was waking up in a hospital, I had fought with Sakarin about having a child, and worried that I was pregnant, demanded an immediate abortion and sterilization! Angry and upset, I managed to explain the situation and presented my legal papers. I knew that Sakarin would want legal action against the man who had cuckolded him. When I got to the train station, Sakarin accused me of playing fast and loose with his reputation. I fought back, breaking his nose in the process. He swore that no man would want a pregnant scientist for a wife, so he left me behind as his train left for Geneva. Mind you he cut me pretty well, and then I felt like fainting when Harkness and Calculus found me. I was ranting like a lunatic, of course when we got to Marlinspike, Haddock was about ready to go on a rampage when he saw my state. To be honest, I am not sure who your father is, my dear. It could either be Sakarin or my dear Haddock," the woman intoned, her dark eyes teary about the subject.

Helene was incensed, "How could he do that to you? You have rights under Belgian law… that bastard! He wants me dead because of my parentage and the Tesseract machines!" Tintin held her close, a duel reason for revenge. That was cold blooded, indeed.

A shocked voice interrupted the silence, "Typhoons, is that true, Rosamund? Sakarin raped you after our roll in the hay?" Standing in the threshold was Haddock, pale faced and quite out of sorts. Unable to move, Rosamund stood up and crossed over to her ex boyfriend. Stroking his face softly, she said to him, "You're world weary, Archibald. Have the years been kind to you? After that night… I couldn't face the truth. I really did love you, I was happy Helene had you as a father; I shudder to think that Sakarin could have reared her, but I couldn't face life after what I had been through. I wanted to leave, someplace without danger. I hurt everyone, but I wanted Helene away from the influences that made me an outsider. Please darling, forgive me." Pulling him into an embrace, she began to cry.

Breaking out of his silence, Haddock blew his nose on his sleeve, and softly kissed Rosamund, "Typhoons Rosamund, I already forgave you when Helene came home. I was selfish to ask you to marry me. But, that's ancient history." He pulled her into a sweeping kiss and stroked her hair fondly. Tintin and Helene wiped away their tears; this was a happy reunion indeed.

Just then, a weightless feeling enveloped the room. Snowy barked in surprise, "What's going on? Are we waking up?" Death smiled, "You are waking up now. Good luck and Rosamund's staying at the outpost, so you will see her again. Farewell."

As they parted, the light grew brighter, and a static sounding voice broke the silence as the rocket living quarters came back into focus, "Earth to rocket, is anyone awake? You have cleared Earth? Hello?"

Somewhat groggy, Tintin reached for the receiver, "We read you loud and clear. Tintin speaking, we're all coming around now. We're all right." Helene smiled softly, and they shared a kiss as Haddock confirmed they were indeed all right.


	22. Chapter 22: Stowaways x2 and Spacewalk

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I still own nothing mentioned, except for Helene and Rosamund. Enjoy this lastest chapter. Please tell me what you think.

Suggested Soundtrack: Desert Winds- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Wild Child- Enya, Doctor Who Theme

Chapter 22: Stowaways time 2 and Haddock's Space Walk

Once the lethargy of the G forces had worn off, Calculus ascended to the laboratory, and called out to Helene, "Helene, come here for a moment. You really need to see this. You too Tintin." Wandering over to the periscope, Helene gasped in amazement. Up on the screen was Earth. She could see the clouds, the green of the Taiga forest, the burnt orange Sahara swirling over North Africa. How wonderful!

Taking a picture with the colored film, she commented, "This really is amazing, Earth is such a beautiful, but fragile world. Look at that Augustin! A dust storm from the Sahara is blowing out to the Atlantic. People would kill for a view of this, don't you think?"

Tintin nodded eagerly, "I must say, it really is quite a sight. Our little planet, sitting amongst the cosmos. It's really no wonder why the Doctor wants to protect humanity. See Snowy, there's home." The fox terrier wagged his tail and barked excitedly, what an awesome sight.

Haddock walked over to the radio and called Earth, "Rocket to Earth, Haddock speaking. Just wanted to confirm coordinates at 69 degrees by 75." Glancing around the lab, he chattered to Calculus about the upcoming rescue mission of Dalek Caan, clearly over the moon about kissing and making up with Rosamund. Indeed Calculus was a bit surprised by his behavior.

"Honestly Haddock, you haven't been this happy since you saw Helene in my lab, but before that- when Nestor brought Rosamund came back to Marlinspike Hall with a newborn Helene in her arms. My stars, did you journey to Death's realm during our fainting fit and reconcile with her? It's about time," Calculus chuckled and clapped his friend on the back. Tintin and Helene were at work compiling information for the travelogue when Franklin Wolff popped up into the lab.

He apologized about his interruption, but he wanted to tell them that there was a strange noise coming from the storage units beneath the living area. Snowy barked at him in surprise, "A strange noise, you say? At least you didn't hear any of Haddock and Calculus's talk about Death and Daleks." Worried about stowaways, everyone clamored down towards the storage area. Tintin and Helene pried the door up… only to find a wide awake Thompson and Thomson!

"What on Earth are you doing here? You're supposed to be back on base," Wolff scolded as Calculus began running figures down in his notebook. Haddock was less polite, "You bloody Davros worshipping sea gherkins! What are you doing on board? We had enough food and air supplies for five people and one canine, and now we're going to have to cut the mission short, no thanks to you two!"

Thompson and Thomson exchanged glances and Thomson explained to the crowd, "Well we were just waiting to see the launch. If you all are that upset just drive us back to the base… Ugh! Oh dear!" Both he and his partner burped up several neon colored bubbles that disintegrated when they hit the air. Tintin explained to the Thom(p)sons that they were en route to the moon, and they grew pale upon seeing the image in the lab. Helene inquired about the strange malady, and they explained they had picked some strange Arabian pills the other day in the infirmary after a bout with some bad clams. Annoyed to no end, Haddock shooed them all away for some alone time, everyone except Snowy. Helene and Tintin agreed, so everyone left. Once he was alone, Haddock walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a book entitled Introduction to Astronomy: written by Professor River Song.

Inside the book was a large bottle of Loch Lomond. Pouring himself a long drink, Haddock drank away, and mused, "That's much better. Here you go, Snowy, a little drink between friends, and now for chapter two." Pouring a second round, Haddock began signing _If I were a Rich Man _from "Fiddler on the Roof" a la Sean Connery. His singing couldn't be heard as everyone else was watching Calculus explain everything to the Thom(p)sons.

Of course, Thompson's cane caught on the lever controlling the nuclear motor, and that's when things went up in the air. Literally.

"Shit! What happened? At least I'm my bra's on tight. Tintin, I'm not holding on to you too tightly, am I? "

"Hello to you to, dear. I think the gravity's off. Snakes, Thom(p)sons- what have you done?"

"Terrific, one of us is going to have to turn on the engine again. Thompson and Thomson, stay away from the controls!"

"Earth to rocket! What happened up there? The engine's off. Do you copy?"

"Yes, we copy- Tintin here. Calculus is turning on the engine now. OW!"

WHAM! Everyone fell back onto the floor. Helene fell into Tintin's arms and smiled shyly. Thompson and Thomson fell in a pile, their walking sticks falling in their heads, with Calculus clinging to the periscope. Straightening up, he commented, "Well, glad to see everything's back to normal. Wolff, could you please run the diagnostics while I check on Haddock." Wolff nodded, and began pressing random buttons and following a complicated checklist.

Calculus made his way downstairs where he found Snowy whimpering. The note went something like this:

"Dear all,

Cannot take traveling in a metal cigar anymore. Leaving for Marlinspike, am hoping to see the legendary TARDIS and go home with Rosamund that way. Haddock"

"Force almighty, he's drunk! Where could he have gotten off too," he wondered as he made his way back to the lab. Helene was watching the monitor and nudged Augustin to the small planetoid on the screen. Tintin commented that it was called Adonis, and a rare sight to most astronomers. Thompson and Thomson were interested in why something the size of a meteor had its personal name. Snowy made his way into the crowd to see what everyone was talking about and was not all that impressed.

"It's only a rock," he commented dryly as the others called Wolff over to take a look see. As the excitement died down, Calculus made his announcement, "Haddock has abandoned ship! Look at this note, poor man is as drunk as a lord on New Year's Day. Blast."

Looking out the window, Tintin groaned, "Great snakes, he's gone and got himself pulled in Adonis's orbit. What is doing, waiting for the Doctor to pick him up? I'll have to go get him." Helene said she would and hungrily kissed Tintin until he relented. Once she was in the space suit, Calculus instructed her to anchor her rope tightly onto the outside ladder. After the engines were turned off, she was to lasso Haddock and reel him in as the engines went full throttle and they circumnavigated the asteroid to get back on track. After she exited, Tintin said the Lord's Prayer to keep her safe, her and Haddock both.

Outside, Helene winced at the bracing cold. Knotting the rope securely to the ladder rung, she shouted, "Hallo! Captain Haddock, where are you going? The TARDIS isn't in this universe; it's in the other one where I lived for the past 13 years. Stop being silly and come back on board."

Swimming in zero gravity, Haddock waved to her, "Hello Helene, have you come to join me? What's with the rope? If you think I'm going back on that death trap, you are sadly mistaken! ICONOCLAST!" Helene lassoed him and with a violent jerk he landed on top of the rocket just as the rocket zoomed by the asteroid, the rocky bit passing just feet over their heads.

Highly annoyed by his daughter's rescue, he scolded, "By Columbus, young lady! You should know better coming out here and rescuing me when I just wanted to go home. I am having your mother take away your passport as soon as we land-" WHACK!

Helene smacked Haddock as hard as she could, tears streaming down her face, voice raging over the radio system. "Just a minute! You have some nerve drinking yourself into the ground endangering the whole entire crew! Do you think we're all comfortable? You've nearly killed us all, and I am a grown woman now! I am not six year old child going to Russia in the middle of the night with her mother, never to see her home for a very long time. Do you know how much I longed for Augustin, for Calculus, for you, for home when we stayed with Uncle Herge? A damn long time, I ran away so many times trying to find a way back here, I became a ghost in my own house!" The rays from the sun glinted on her multiplex helmet, capturing her rosy cheeks and her wild hair.

Haddock was still is a state of shock when they re-entered the airlock. Slipping out of the space suit, she gave Tintin a quick kiss, before curling up in a ball on their bunk. Haddock sat down on a chair. He was still reeling when Augustin addressed his father in law. Asking Haddock of he was all right, the captain shook his head.

"I'm not all right; I got drunk and nearly killed my little girl, after I asked you to keep her safe. Damn, I'm an old fool. She's grown up now, and her own person and having her own adventures. But, that doesn't mean she shouldn't have others there for support. Excuse me."

Standing up, he climbed down and walked into the living area, where he saw Helene scrunched up and sobbing. Walking over, he offered her a handkerchief. Looking up through her tangled hair, she whispered, "What do you want? Have you come to scold me more?" Haddock shook his head and explained he wanted to apologize. Helene kissed his cheek softly and forgave him.

Over lunch, Helene served the crew coffee as she was the youngest. Tintin asked Wolff what there ETA was, and Wolff replied that they would be arriving within the hour. Once the dishes were cleaned, courtesy of Snowy, everyone laid down on their bunks and waited for the pains involved with deceleration and landing. Since there were no bunks for the Thom(p)sons, two spare mattresses were laid on the floor.

As they blacked out yet again after confirming landing sequence was a go with Earth, Helene held Tintin close as blackness engulfed the crew and the X-FLR landed on the alien satellite. On the moon, in a remote ice cave, the electric signals reached a snoozing Dalek Caan. Pulling himself up inside the metal cage, he mused, "Well, it's about time somebody rescued me. I just hope Sakarin doesn't blow up Europe using those Tesseract machines."


	23. Chapter 23: Brave New Lunar World

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I still own nothing mentioned, except for Helene and Rosamund. In case you're wondering, Rosamund's voice actress in Pernilla August and is modeled of Isabella Rossilini. Snowy is voiced by David Tennent, in the style of Doctor Who. All other characters belong to Georges Remi, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Russell T. Davies, BBC, BBC America, and 20th Century Fox .

Suggested Soundtrack: Flying theme- E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Book of Days- Enya, Doctor Who theme

Chapter 23: Brave New Lunar World

The X-FLR 6 rocket landed on the moon with a loud thud. Of course, there was nobody there to welcome the humans except Dalek Caan. Of course, he was holed up in a cave several hours away from the touchdown site. He would have to be patient. Back on board, Tintin and Helene were preparing to head out down onto the lunar surface. Calculus was giving them reminders on how to wait for Haddock while unloading equipment.

Haddock was at the radio, confirming what was going on, "Rocket to Earth, this is Haddock, over. Tintin and Helene have their suits on, and Helene's camera roll has been prepped. They are just getting ready to descend. Will be switching over to them momentarily." Severing the connection, Haddock looked out the nearest window as Tintin and Helene slowly climbed down and stood stock still.

As soon as they landed, Tintin gasped. "Tintin to Earth, Helene and I have descended. Crumbs, what a sight! The moon truly is the Valley of Death, nothing but rocks and craters strewn about. A desolate place. Not even the stars dance here, they are still and motionless. Helene, what do you think?"

"I agree, this is a lunar desert but the Earth hangs high and large in the horizon, a bright blue orb of hopes and dreams. You can see the clouds and poles. I can even see the Sahara from where I'm standing," Helene intoned as she began snapping pictures. Mission Control acknowledged this, when Wolff interrupted them, and asked for their insistence. Racing back to the launch site, the newlyweds skipped and flew until they were underneath the door. Haddock waved to them as he began lowering Snowy with a radio attached to his doggy suit.

"I can't believe it; I'm being lowered to the ground like a common piece of construction equipment. Hurry up and put me down," he barked angrily. Helene chuckled; Snowy didn't like being lowered by rope. Once the terrier was on the ground, he braked wildly and bounded up to Tintin, only to go flying several feet beyond his range. Snowy was confused, why was he suddenly moving freely in mid-air like a dragonfly? Tintin quietly explained to his dog about the lack of gravity when Haddock finally joined the party.

"Well, would you look at that? Here we are on the moon and we lived to tell the tale. Of course, had we come on the TARDIS there would be no black outs, but I wouldn't have made up with dear Rosamund. The equipment for the lunar tank will be down shortly. I think it would do us all well for a stroll," Haddock commented as Snowy began sniffing around the fins, looking for a place to defecate.

Noticing the fox terrier's sudden antsy behavior, Augustin and Helene agreed and the trio plus one meandered off towards a cliff overlooking the Sea of Serenity. Along the way, Helene commented that if a meteor were to crash, chances are you wouldn't hear it because of the lack of oxygen. Just then, the ground shuddered, followed by a conjoined shout of fear. Sprinting towards the group were Thompson and Thomson. Out of breath, the officers complained about nearly being struck by an asteroid. Helene stared at the curiously, their normally back mustaches were a bright tangerine. She fell on her back laughing to the point she found it hard to breath, so Augustin had to turn her back to them. Snowy finished going to the bathroom, and barked incessantly until Haddock threw the dog back to his owners.

Turning to the officers, he demanded to know where they had gotten the medicine. Thomson finally admitted that they had gotten it from Harkness because the infirmary had very little in the way of anti-nausea medication. Well, then this explained everything. Marching everyone back to the rocket to begin assembling the tank under Calculus and Wolff's instruction, Haddock called on the radio to Harkness.

"Haddock to Earth. I need to speak to Barrowman privately. Requesting Barrowman for a conference, is he in?"

"He's in all right, what's it like up there? The control panel is at lunch, but a few of us are still here. Well, Sec and I are and Harkness and Jones… shit Mariah, where are they? Oh, there he is- no Archibald wants to speak to you… how should I know what he wants? I may be the mother of his child, but I am not a mind reader. Here you go, sweetheart."

"You have reached John Barrowman, sex god and immortal time traveler, how can I pleasure you today? Oh, damn! Haddock, why didn't you speak up?"

"Listen to me, you oversexed coelacanth! Helene nearly passed out laughing because Thompson and Thomson are belching bubbles and their hair is turning unnatural shades at an alarming rate. What did you give them to cure their upsets stomachs? Please tell me they walked in on you shagging the infirmary nurse and you bribed them…"

"I wasn't shagging the nurse, I was flirting with her-"

"As if there's a bleeding difference for you. What did you give the Thom(p)sons?"

"I gave them an aphrodisiac that Shumans use when they are out clubbing, but it has the most peculiar side effects in humans. It causes belching of bubbles and your hairs grows ridiculous colors and at a tremendous length. It wears off within a day or two. Now, if you excuse me I have lunch."

"Lunch? It's barely 10 in the morning here at camp. Is the goulash that good? I found it rather bland."

"No, you misunderstand. Today, I having a hairless Ianto Jones and Margot Delacroix from the infirmary office for lunch. Harkness out."

The idea of Harkness's lunch made him shudder, making his way back to the work yard, he found that the lunar tank was already under way, and everyone else was inside. Tintin and Helene were snuggled together on their bunk, snogging while Snowy gnawed on a large beef bone from the kitchen pantry.

In the kitchen area, Calculus was making every attempt to cut the Thom(p)sons hair, but it really was growing too fast for one man to cut, so Haddock decided to help out. He talked to them about his chat with Rossamund and Harkness. Calculus inquired, "So, Rosamund's on base now? That's a good thing, Sakarin's not expecting her to be in on his sadistic killing rampage, and this could turn the tide. Once we rescue Dalek Caan, we can reconider back at Marlinspike. By the way, what was Harkness boasting about? Please tell me he didn't answer as some sort of Neo-Dionysian sex god about to have Ianto for lunch or even worse, so poor young girl in it for a threesome. He did? My stars, the man's bloody brilliant but his ego regarding sex… Cassanova must be rolling over in his grave."

Thomson turned to his partner, "Well, what about it? A ménage-a-trois with those two- Harkness and Jones, it's consensual, right?" The other Thompson nodded, "To be precise, it is consensual, it would have to be seeing it as Syldavia is a devout country and would have strict laws about sodomy and Harkness is a homosexual, isn't he?"

Haddock shook his head, "If Harkness was a straight up homosexual, things would be a lot easier for his comrades. However, he is from the 51st century Anno Domini, and he is what you would call pan-sexual, or someone with a sexual interest in aliens and robots. However, in our much more conservative and primitive 1961, the term best used would be bi-sexual. Either way, this is going to be very interesting."

Downstairs, Haddock's comments about Jack Harkness had interested Helene and Augustin. They had quit snogging and were contentedly lying in each other's arms. Augustin asked Helene, "If Ianto and Jack were to join us, would it be a hindrance or not? Harkness had been useful around base as a tour guide and engineer, but with Ianto who knows what would happen?"

Helene thought for a moment, before replying, "Well, Mother said that when they were in the field on a mission, both Ianto and Jack would focus on the mission at hand and work together bringing about the plan of action. Let's just wait and see, all right?"

Still somewhat skeptical, Tintin agreed before reclaiming here lips to his and began another kissing session.


	24. Chapter 24: Fire and Ice

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: I only own Helene and her mother, Rosamund. All other characters belong to George Remi, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Russell T Davies, BBC, BBC America and 20th Century Fox. Here is where things get exciting as the gang finally rescues Dalek Caan. Enjoy!

Suggested Soundtrack: Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Princess Leia's theme

Chapter 24: Fire and Ice

As it turned out, with Wolff in charge of putting together the lunar exploration tank, Calculus was free to discuss Dalek Caan's rescue mission with everyone else. Thompson and Thomson were keen on meeting the other Dalek, much to Sec's dismay. "I am a Dalek too, you know. A human-Dalek hybrid, to be precise, but I am a Dalek nonetheless." Thomson apologized on behalf of his partner, and Sec took it well. Helene and Tintin had finished mapping the list coordinates found by the steam vent when they had been still on the NATO base in Syldavia. Helene's hunch about the coordinates proved correct, they were a map to a cave somewhere north of the Sea of Serenity. "If we do go for a rescue mission, I want to be there to rescue Dalek Caan as it's my life on the line."

Augustin and Haddock both agreed, it wouldn't be fair for her to sit by while they undertook the mission. Besides, nobody back on Earth had ever seen the interior of a lunar cave, so she had a cover story all ready to go. Calculus took the plot points and printed out a map. Of course, Wolff just had to interrupt the meeting!

"Excuse me, everyone. I just wanted to let you know that the tank has been completed. We will be testing it the day after tomorrow, have you plotted a course we should take to test it out," Wolff requested cheerfully before a nervous manner crossed his face, yet again. Breaking the awkward silence, Helene informed Wolff that they had just finished debating what course to take, and Calculus had finalized a pathway to drive the tank along for the test run. Augustin added that if the test went well, that Haddock thought that some honest to goodness exploration should take place. Wolff nodded and phoned home.

"Rocket to Earth, this is Wolff, over. Lunar tank has been built according to the Professor's calculations. Test run to be conducted the day after next."

"Earth reads you loud and clear, kids. Wolff, do you know how the children like their bedding?"

"Bedding, what on Earth are you talking about Barrowman? Oh… you mean Tintin and Helene. Well, I'm not sure why you're asking about that, I've seen them cuddling, but they are a married couple. What is it exactly that you are hinting at?" Here, Wolff gestured to Haddock, who was about ready to strangle Barrowman.

"Well, the bedding for Mister and Missus Berlioz are Egyptian cotton, and I have heard that the chances of conception are greater than 90 %. Besides, impossible children conceived in space would be the news story of the century!"

"Enough of this, you oversexed piranha; you've already embarrassed Augustin and Helene enough already. By the way, I'm surprised that the Syldavian government hasn't found about your proclivity towards the same gender. You know how strong the anti-sodomy laws are here. This is not Belgium or England; we are in a heavily Catholic country that doesn't serve alcohol. That aside, by the end of the week, we shall have the tank out on an expedition. Over and out."

Groaning about Barrowman being the death of him, Haddock took a swig of rum before deciding to fix everyone a hot lunch of fish stew and hot bread. Over Lunch, Wolff confessed he had no idea that Barrowman not being heterosexual. Tintin replied that Barrowman, oversexed as he was, was a capable leader a good majority of the time. Wolff seemed strangely comforted by this fact.

Glancing up at Haddock, Snowy commented, "Well Haddock, it's a good thing you didn't mention the 51st century AD or the TARDIS, because if you did our cover would have blown. Poor Tintin and Helene, why did he have to shame them like that? When we get back, I am going to bite Harkness for those remarks." He growled in delight, when Helene nudged him to behave.

That night, Tintin and Helene snuggled together under the covers and discussed what Harkness was said. "If it is possible, I want our children to be conceived back home, away from Daleks, the danger of violence, and Harkness. Crumbs, its bad enough he's second in command, but he and Ianto are too much," Tintin commented wryly as his fingers tangled into Helene's hair as he kissed her softly. Relaxing in his embrace, Helene agreed before they both fell asleep.

The day of the test drive arrived, and Haddock, Tintin and Helene were excited. The tank resembles the average army tank, except there were four outlooks. There was one in the center, and three on the left a right sides. The right side lookouts were for the driver and for the photographer, in this case these were for Tintin and Helene. Haddock would be posted in the left side as the navigator. Wolff would be in the center as the commander. Calculus had insisted on this, as he and the Thom(p)sons wanted to conference with Rosamund and bring her up to speed. As soon as everyone was ready to go, Haddock started complaining.

"Blue barnacles, it is boiling in here! Forget this helmet, I'm taking it off," he announced as Helene and Tintin reported for duty over the P.A. system. After giving them the farewell signal, Wolff gave the order to start the engine. "Now, we're off," Helene crowed happily as Tintin began to drive the tank. As the tank lumbered over the uneven lunar surface, Haddock jolted violently back and forth, bumping his head just about everywhere on the multiplex windshield. "OUCH! Damn it, Tintin! I'm getting nauseous, what do you think your doing?" Tintin apologized and admitted that he was doing his best, as he had never driven a tank before. Neither had he driven a tank on the moon, either. Helene was busy taking pictures when she spotted something. "Both of you, stop bickering! There's a ledge ahead! Pull back!" Tintin saw what she was talking about and halted. This sent Haddock backwards, and when he sat up, he gasped. "Thank God we stopped. Twenty more meters and we would be having tea with Lady Death about now. Wolff, do you see that?"

Wolff nodded, "I certainly see that. Tank to rocket, tank runs very well, but we have come across a ledge. We are returning to base now."

The next day, Haddock, Helene, Tintin and Snowy set out early to rescue Dalek Caan. This time around, they were all wearing the neon orange spacesuits and Haddock wore his helmet during the jaunt. Not even an hour later, they had reached the cave. With a sense of trepidation, they all exited.

"Here we go, into the belly of the beast," Helene affirmed as Tintin and Haddock walked into the entrance. An astounding sight greeted them, a gigantic cavern filled with rust and lichen covered stalagmites and stalactites greeted them. "How bizarre, with all these formations here, you would think there was once water on the Moon," Snowy commented as Helene took some more pictures. Indeed, all three humans wondered amongst themselves if there had been water on the lunar surface at one point.

Haddock said, "Well, Caan's not going to rescue himself, let's get going then." Snowy barked excitedly and ran off, quickly by Helene. "Snowy, come back here! We don't know if Sakarin himself left Caan here. Stupid mutt, come back here," she angrily shouted. Snowy was too far ahead and was resting on the edge of a cliff when Helene finally caught up with him.

Snowy whimpered, and Helene smiled softly. "Don't be afraid Snowy, Tintin and Father will be along shortly. Are you cold? Hello, what's this? A Dalek's eyestalk? Hallo, Cann?"

A hoarse voice echoed back, "By Skaro, is that you Helene? You sound so much like your mother, a real shame about her and Haddock. I am stuck inside an ice sheet…" his voice grew silent as Helene used the sharp end of the eyestalk to make her way down an icy sheet towards the frozen chamber of Dalek Caan. The Dalek's heavy eyes lit up when he saw the astronaut. "Pardon my English, but ye gods! You really are the spitting image of your dear mama. Glad to see her ingenuity was inherited. Where is the canine?"

Helene ran back towards the perch to bring Snowy down to see the aged Dalek. Snowy barked and cowered. Caan laughed, "So you are the terrier that drinks spirits and tracks down criminals. He's a fine nanny as well."

Helene blushed, "You have seen the future?" Caan nodded earnestly, "I have yes, when I was in Death's realm doing penance for all the shameful deaths I caused over the eons. Yes, I foresaw your happy future with Augustin. You two will have such beautiful children, you have four if them eventually. I was surprised, since neither of you are Catholic, but Death said religion didn't matter. Your children with Augustin will be two girls and two boys. You have a set of twins, a little boy and a newborn daughter. They all have your hair and his eyes." His eyes suddenly widened in fear as a shadow slunk along the wall, a sudden shot breaking the helmet and a bullet grazing Helene's face. Landing to the floor, all she could see was red before the world became burning and freezing.

Caan screamed with rage, the ice wall forming around Helene as Caan stepped back into his metal shell. The shadow taunted, "Her world has ended, in fire and in ice. Helene Dupont is dead, not with a whimper but a bang." Rubbing his mustache in delightful glee, he disappeared as Caan frantically repaired her helmet. "Stay with me girl. Please, for the sake of all good things we Daleks used to be known for, live!" Helene sat up and gasped! Caan cheered, when two voices called out, "Snowy! Helene, where are you? Are you all right?"

Caan screamed, "DOWN HERE! WE ARE DOWN HERE! DALEK CAAN IS SAFE! MUST EXTERMINATE ASSASIN! Hurry gents, Helene's hasn't much time!" Using a teleporter, he brought them into his vacuum sealed chamber. Tintin took one look at Helene and began to cry. He stroked her hair, he couldn't protect the one person he cared to most about, Sakarin had killed her. Helene let out a soft moan, she was still alive.

Haddock coughed, "She's still alive? How is it possible?" Caan explained that he had placed her in his prison to stop her from bleeding out from the wound. "She has also passed out from the lack of oxygen. The only way for her to survive is for you to pace her it my suit. Easy now, there you go. Take this and you will be back at the tank."

Wiping his eyes, Tintin asked what Caan would do. The Dalek explained he would teleport back on board and explain that he was a stranded alien who was dying. This would have to do.

Once they were back at the tank, Haddock called the rocket. "Tank to rocket, we are coming back. Helene has suffered a terrible accident and is barely alive. A kind Martian by the name of Caan has offered his spacesuit to keep her stable until our return."

Once everyone was back on the rocket, Calculus, Snape and Caan wasted no time operating on Helene to save her life. As both Haddock and Augustin were the same blood type as Helene, they donated blood in a vain attempt to prevent their beloved's death. Woozy but determined, they were still awake when Calculus confirmed that Helene would live, Caan's quick thinking had indeed saved her life. Tintin took a picture of everything, and wrote down a report for the travelogue. Helene was put right to bed, and Tintin served her hot soup. Snowy placed himself on Haddock's bunk, not really convinced she was out of harm's way.

Helene slowly opened her eyes. "Vashta Nerada, my head hurts! Oh Tintin, I was shot at! It was horrible- Sakarin knew we would rescue Caan!" Shivering, Tintin embraced her and kissed her hungrily. After pulling apart, he whispered, "Was it Sakarin who shot you?" Helene shook her head, "No, that's the scary thing. It was not Sakarin. It was another man. He was wearing a monocle, and before I passed out he quoted Robert Frost's _Fire and Ice._"

Tintin held her close, the only man he knew who fit that description was Colonel Jorgen. Why and how was he involved? Only time would tell, and they were running out of it.


	25. Chapter 25: From Whence We Came

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: 2,181 words in the last chapter and Jorgen is out for blood! Is he a hired hand for Sakarin, or he is another pawn in the game over who will control the Tesseract Machines? Read on and learn! I still own nothing!

Suggested Soundtrack: Opus 20 from Swan Lake Suite- Tchaikovsky, Solo and the Princess- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Escape from Naboo- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, On My Way Home- Enya

Chapter 25: From Whence We Came

While Helene slept to recuperate from her traumatic accident, the Thom(p)sons were interviewing Dalek Caan to get an idea of what happened to Helene during the rescue mission. While this was going on, Haddock and Tintin were making themselves useful running experiments with Calculus and Wolff. They were obviously still shaken about the previous day's events, but there was work to be done. Besides that, Tintin had finally divulged his suspicions about Wolff to Haddock. Angered by this, Haddock was going to rat him out, but stopped after Helene implored him to stay quiet a little while longer. Just to make sure she was safe, Tintin had Snowy stay with Helene. The news about discovering an alien would raise suspicions, and since the mission to rescue Caan was a covert one, the chances of Sakarin finding out would rise to lethal levels. Ergo, Caan's cover story was that he was an exiled Russian scientist who was working for MI-6 when his satellite went off course.

Everyone back one base had bought the story, referring to the dying man as "Citizen Khan". Well, everyone except for Ianto, Jack and Rosamund. They had already contacted Nestor about staying at Marlinspike, and would be ready to leave once the mission.

Back on the rocket, Thomson asked the Dalek how he got to the moon in the first place and what he knew about the Tesseract machines. Just as Caan was about to tell everything he knew, the door to the airlock burst open and in came Wolff and them! Thompson cursed silently under his breath. They had been so close, but Wolff had ruined it all.

Tintin excused himself to check on his wife and Snowy, while Haddock told the gang the grim news. "We were finishing the experiments today, when Wolff suddenly realized we are running out of air! Calm down, Thomsons- we're not going to die right away, but we are cutting the mission short. Helene needs to go back to Earth for a checkup, and I say the sooner the better." Turning to Calculus, the esteemed professor explained his reasoning. Not only that, something seemed off about the aura of the crew, at least as far as Calculus could divine.

Back downstairs, Tintin stepped quietly over to the bunk her shared with Helene. Her long, chocolate locks spilled down around her shoulders, her rosy cheeks pale from exhaustion and stress. Lying down next to her, he slid his arms around her and kissed her gently. Snowy glanced over at them. He woofed quietly, "See Tintin? I told you I would protect her." Jumping down, he walked across the room to Calculus's bunk, and pawed at the pillow. This revealed a stash of bones, and he gnawed away happily. Helene's eyes opened slowly, and she blushed. "Hmmm, Augustin- are you back now? I heard you talking earlier. Is it true we're returning home sooner than expected?" She kissed him back, and he explained how having the extra Dalek aboard was compromising their air supply. He also added that she really needed medical attention.

At they were cuddling, Dalek Caan stepped into the living area to use the lavatory. When he saw Tintin and Helene, a wave of color flashed before his eyes as he sank to the floor in a trance, the vision of the future unfolding before him….

_The South American jungle was humid and sticky, when a roar of motors rumbled and zoomed around the Dalek. In the open boot of one, sat Tintin wearing bell bottoms and a serape, a small bandage on his forehead. Next to him sat a very pregnant Helene, her face bruised and sweaty. Squeezing his hand, she gave him a tired smile as he rubbed her belly. Her head rested on his shoulder as Haddock stuck his out the back window as he asked a question. The young couple answered in unison, when Helene let out a pained scream and a burst of water gushed onto the metal floor. Eyes widening in realization, Tintin banged on the back window, while supporting his wife, and said something to Haddock…_

Caan shook his head and locked the door once the vision faded. He had been correct about Tintin and Helene having a happy future. True, their marriage would be a happy and supportive one and their children would be healthy, but there would also be danger, sabotage, intrigue and villainy. No need to mention that now.

After he exited, Tintin and Helene were napping and Snowy wandered over to him. "Were you meditating a few minutes ago? It looked like you were in a trance. I didn't know Daleks were religious," the fox terrier commented. Caan grinned at the canine, "We don't meditate, and I saw the future. When you spend time in Death's realm for a long time, as I have, you gain some sort of foresight." Snowy barked in surprise, Cann could understand him!

The next day, everyone took part in dismantling the tank and other scientific equipment. Even Helene joined in, and once they had finished, Tintin led her in an awkward looking, but utterly romantic. Haddock serenaded them by singing, "We'll be dancing by the light of the Earth…"

Of course, Thompson and Thomson got lost exploring, so Sec, Caan, Calculus and Haddock ha to go out and look for them. They packed sandwiches with them to eat along the way as they would not be back in time for lunch. At the kitchen table, Helene was humming Pachelbel's Canon in D as Tintin assisted her in repairing one of the portable shortwave radios. Snowy was watching them intently. Wolff smiled sadly at the young couple; he couldn't bring himself to betray them. But, he had to do his job. Glancing over at the 24 hour clock, he commented to them, "Would you look at that, it's almost time for lunch? Are any of you hungry?" Tintin and Helene looked up, lunch sounded good.

Several minutes passed, and Wolff had not returned with lunch. Standing up, Tintin kissed Helene on the cheek. "I'll be right back, I promise." He climbed down into the living area when Helene heard him start to say something, then nothing! Snowy growled, what was going on down there?

Running over to the opening, she was stopped short by a muscular man wearing a monocle. Grinning coldly, he said roughly to her, "I see that you are awake and well. Such a pretty little doll, it's a shame I have to kill you and your husband." Helene growled, nobody treated her like a plaything. Taking a salad fork, she lunged at him and ripped his shirt sleeve! Frowning, he attempted to strangle her but she decked him. Holding out his elbow, she tripped and hit her head. Now that she was out cold, Snowy jumped and barked only to be savagely kicked. Carrying her to the living quarters he turned to Wolff, "Come on, tie the girl up. The others should be back soon. In the meantime, I'm going to have some soup. Join me." Wolff nodded, and after Jorgen had left, Wolff loosely tied Helene's arms together, and did the same for Tintin.

When Tintin came to, he found his hands loosely tied, Wolff was the spy! It all made sense now, but why was he working with Jorgen? Next to him, Helene was stirring and trying to untie herself. Smiling, he helped her out and the two of them made their way up to the kitchen. Before that though, they heard Jorgen in the lavatory. Wasting no time, Helene grabbed a heavy book as Tintin jumped the traitor and Helene knocked him out. Tying him up and putting him and Wolff in irons in the kitchen area, Helene was about to begin the interrogation when Haddock and the others entered.

"What in billions of blue barnacles happened in here? Gah, who are you and Wolff? You're the spy! You… you Visigoth executioner, what in God's good name did you do to my daughter," he ranted. Wolff blubbered an apology, but Jorgen shouted him down.

"You twit, I was the one to hurt the little doll. She fought back and I had orders to have her killed, at any cost. Tintin being her husband was just the icing in the cake, he cost me my job a year and a half back. When we leave, we all die, there isn't enough oxygen for us all," he pontificated coldly.

Calculus wept, "Why Wolff, why?" Wolff explained that he had gambling debts to pay, and he had ditched the man he owed. Jorgen blackmailed him into selling the rocket's information along with the mission specs to the Bourdians. The Thom(p)sons put the men under arrest, and the rocket left the moon.

Contact with Earth was reestablished, and Baxter was enraged about the major security breach. He said that they would be waiting to take them into custody. As the trip continued, everyone slept. During the lull, Wolff pulled out a piece of paper, wrote a note and threw himself from the air lock. Reaching for him was a pale girl in a grey spacesuit bearing an ankh. She told him," Through your death, you have redeemed yourself. However, you will not be going to the Holy City."

"Limbo then, Lady Death?" She nodded, and Wolff soon found himself in a lovely field outside an old fashioned castle, with a melancholy mood surrounding the place. He was in Limbo, where the virtuous pagans and truly reformed criminals went to spend Eternity.

When everyone woke up, Helene found the note. Gathering around, Haddock began to intone;

"Dear all, Please forgive me for what I have done. I do not want anyone to suffer because of me. I have left so there will be enough oxygen for you. F. Wolff"

Helene wiped her eyes, and did Tintin. Thompson shook his head and remarked that Wolff was a coward, committing suicide rather than face trial. Haddock glared at him, "Wolff is a hero. Don't you ever say anything bad about him again." Both officers gulped and agreed. As the X-FLR 6 rocket got closer to Earth, Tintin and Helene were left to contact Earth. After making contact and announcing Wolff's suicide, the room began to swim. Sinking to the floor, Tintin and Helene kissed passionately as they passed out in each other's arms. Snowy, who was shoved into a cabinet, began whining loudly as the rocket landed.

Back at the launch site, Barrowman and Sec watched anxiously as the rocket landed. "There's been no contact, bring oxygen to bring them back," Baxter ordered as troops broke down the door. His eyes fell on the entangled couple, a tragic modern day Romeo and Juliet. Hooking Helene up to the oxygen machine first, she came to within 30 seconds as did Tintin.

"Augustin, we did it! We went to the moon and survived," she cheered as Tintin embraced her. Just then, they heard Snowy howling. Pulling him out, the terrier whimpered and Helene held him as they were escorted towards an ambulance. Calculus was waiting for them, as were the Thom(p)sons. Snowy barked happily but winced when Calculus shook his paw.

"Poor Snowy, your leg's broken," Helene said to Tintin. Tintin nodded, "Jorgen must have done that while we were out cold." Haddock ran up to them, happy to be safe and sound. "I'm pretty good with animals. Hold still Snowy, this might hurt. EASY! Barnacles, jumpy terrier, aren't you? Definitely broken," Haddock announced.

The medics were more than happy to bandage the dig up, and forty five minutes later they were back on base, relaying there story to Baxter and the base's official press corp. Caan and Sec were off-stage, discussing what had happened.

"I'm just glad that you are safe, Caan. Now, what were you going to tell Haddock and them about the Tesseract Machines?" Caan nodded, "I was going to tell them what I know, but it isn't much." Rosamund called to them and they all sat down in an empty conference room.

"Now that we are all assembled, I can finally tell you about the Tesseract Machines. An ancient subspecies of Time Lords called the Anunaki built them as a way to teleport goods from one area to another. The Tesseract Machines could also be used to implode massive areas of land, causing widespread destruction and chaos. There are four of them scattered in continental Europe and England. The main computer needed four keys, one containing key information about each one, to control them all. That is all I learned from Sakarin's diaries, before he used a teleporter to strand me on the moon. He burned them afterwards, the diaries."

Everyone exchanged glances, there were four Tesseract Machines but Helene's necklace was the key to controlling all of them. Where was the master control? Helene was about to ask about it when Caan croaked… "Land of Fire and Ice…" and keeled over onto the floor. A sharp shadow flitted away unseen by the group, and back into the holding cell.

Taking of the heavy helmet, Jorgen groaned. These stealth assassin missions were starting to confuse him, what did his employer want with that necklace, and why the Robert Frost poem? He was a stupid American; no self-respecting European would read American trash. "Whoever you are, kill the girl yourself. This is a stupid waste of my time. You are reading too much Asimov-" A bullet sliced through his skull, as a gun solidified is his hands along with powder residue consistent with a suicide.

Far away from everyone else, Deidrich Sakarin paced the floor of his flat and muttered darkly, "So, Rosamund, Harkness and Ianto have entered the fray. I must admit, the game has not gone the way a predicted. However, the game is in your court Helene. I will bide my time. Soon, I will have control over all of Europe, and you, my dear little doll, will break along with your tin soldier and little stuffed dog. All of you will burn for your treachery."


	26. Chapter 26: Torchwood Regeneration

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Disclaimer: Well, would you look at that? 2 reviews for my quasi-sequel "My Husband's Clothes" and just on the first chapter alone. Here is chapter 26 and I still own nothing, except for Helene and Rosamund. All other characters belong to Gorges Remi, Russell T Davies, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, BBC, BBC America and 20th Century Fox. I am just using them for this story. On with the chapter.

Suggested Soundtrack: Doctor Who theme- Murray Gold, Trains and Winter Rains- Enya, Princess Leia's Theme- John Williams, Pachelbel's Canon in D

Chapter 26: Regeneration of Torchwood Europa

The NATO base was in a tizzy as Tintin and Helene sat down to breakfast a week after their return. Thomson said to them, "Have you two heard the news? Jorgen was found dead in his cell this morning. Apparently, he committed suicide after his trial was scheduled. Isn't that deuced odd?" Thompson sat down next to him and replied that is was strange that he committed suicide, after all Jorgen had been the one to assault Helene during Caan's rescue mission. Caan had been murdered after telling about them about the tesseract machines. He surmised, "To by precise, this is mysterious."

Helene shook her head, "It wasn't suicide. Think about it, no ordinary bullet can get through multiplex, he would have had to have used Torchwood tech. I think Sakarin has committed yet another murder." Tintin nodded in agreement, at this rate they would all wind up dead. Haddock walked over to them and announced they were all catching the next train to Belgium.

Saying their goodbyes, Baxter saw them all off safely on the Orient Express towards Antwerp. As it was a 13 hour trip, everybody got assigned to a different private cabin. Tintin, Helene and Snowy would be in one by themselves, Haddock and Rosamund were staying with Calculus, the Thom(p)sons and Sec had the cabin between the couples, while Ianto and Jack had the cabin at the end of the corridor.

As soon as the train pulled away from the station, Snowy stared at the window. "Good bye Syldavia! God's speed, Dalek Caan," he whispered before curling up to sleep. Lying in Augustin's arms, Helene told him she was happy to be going home. Pulling her close, Tintin leaned in to properly kiss her. They had been too busy during the lunar expedition to snog to high heaven, but now in the privacy of their cabin they could. Helene returned his kiss, and pulled down the privacy curtain. Kissing her neck, Helene sighed contentedly and Tintin ran his hands up under her shirt and unhooked her bra.

Feeling the bra slip down her dress, Helene paled and all blood ran south. Tintin broke off the kiss, and stroked her hair. Helene smiled gently, before tugging him closer. "You do know that Ianto and Jack are already well ahead of us, in fact Jack is probably riding Ianto-" Helene didn't a chance to finish her comment as Tintin was lying her down on the seat, hips grinding into hers. Helene didn't a chance to finish her comment as Tintin was lying her down on the seat, hips grinding into hers and nipping at her newly exposed breasts. Her face went scarlet as she tugged as his shirt, letting out breathy sensual moans as he nipped at her neck and collarbone. _To hell with dignity,_ Tintin thought as his hands snaked their way to his wife's bare back, _we're married and I'm taking her virginity before that bastard Sakarin lays a finger on her._ Sliding a hand underneath her skirt, Helene moaned when she realized where they were headed. She didn't care either, she was married to the man she loved. She wanted this, and so did he. Kissing Tintin passionately, he knew she approved and Tintin proceeded to make love to Helene.

After everything was said and done, Tintin was still atop his bride, nestled in his arms and sound asleep. He smiled, she was beautiful like this. Reaching for his trench, he draped it over them as they fell asleep.

Meanwhile, in the very last cabin a naked Ianto and Jack were lounging in their cabin. Glancing down at his buff boyfriend, Jack kissed the top of Ianto's head, "Dear Ianto, damn! Best sex I have had in a very long time. My dear love, what would you like to do now?" Ianto blushed and ran his fingers along Harkness's six pack abs. Kissing his lover; Ianto ran his tongue along the skin. Jack grinned; it was good to be back with Ianto.

By the time the train reached Belgium, Tintin and Helene were holding hands and comfortable next to each other while Ianto and Jack were kissing every five minutes. Haddock whispered to Rosamund, "I guess we know what went on with those two." Rosamund nodded, "Which two, the kids or Jack and Ianto?" Haddock stared at her, "Of course I meant Jack and Ianto. You don't think the children…Barnacles! Well, it's about time." He laughed quietly; love was truly a many splendored thing.

As they arrived back at Marlinspike Hall, Jack commented, "Well, here we all are. Home again, home again." Ianto nodded and replied that Marlinspike Hall was more breathtaking than it seemed in his memory. Helene smiled, "Well, that's because we are all home now. Welcome, everyone to Marlinspike Hall."

At the front door, Nestor greeted everyone. When he saw Ianto and Jack, he frowned, "Oh dear, those two are back. Shall I put you two in a room farther from the rest? I seem to remember an incident when…" Ianto's face flushed, there had been too many times in the past. What was he talking about?

So was everyone else, when Haddock explained, "It was like this. It was in the middle of another November thunderstorm, and Rosamund was abed with a mild case of the measles. Anyway, Helene was barely a month old and crying for a bottle. Since nobody was up, or so I thought, I went into the nursery to get Helene her bottle. You were expecting your mum, and did you ever give me the sharpest look I have ever seen on an infant. To make a long story short, I got lost looking for the kitchen and I was hoping Calculus would still be up. So there we are, wandering the halls of Marlinspike, me looking to get back to bed, and Helene sound asleep. Pretty soon, I hear a loud groaning from behind on of the doors. I thought Cuthbert had gotten stuck inside one of his contraptions, and lo and behold I see Ianto Jones in the buff. On top of him was Jack Harkness. They were both pissed, so I beat a hasty retreat but not before lecturing them about the nuisance of waking the baby! Well, Harkness shouts back and before you know Rosamund and Nestor are awake, and Nestor took one look at the two of you, ordered you to put some clothes one before fainting."

Ianto apologized and said they would try to keep it down. Now appeased, the butler showed them to their rooms before bidding everyone good night.

The next morning, Haddock and Rosamund asked Tintin and Helene to write a short news story about the reopening of Torchwood Europa. Helene frowned, "Why on Earth would we do that? Isn't this the sort of thing that Sakarin would expect us to do?" Tintin had to agree with his wife with this one. Rosamund agreed that it was risky, but by standing together they had the best chance of finding out where the master control was. Besides, Torchwood Europa could be shown off as a Belgian think tank as cover for their more covert missions. This sounded like a good idea, so Augustin and Helene obliged the older woman's wish.

Of course, with the opening would be an open house and ball. Haddock and Rosamund wasted no time getting everything ready, and three weeks later on the fourth of September, Torchwood Europa had its open house. The guest list was extensive, friends of Haddock and Calculus along with Brussels' upper echelons. Tintin and Helene spent the entire evening in each other's arms on the dance floor. Even Lady Death made an appearance, leading a disguised Sec onto the dance floor. People whispered about the beautiful, if not odd couple on the floor. Haddock thought the Dalek and Reaper made a handsome couple, as did Tintin and Helene. Finally, Jack and Ianto made an appearance. Jack was wearing the military uniform of a high ranking officer and Ianto was wearing a tuxedo. Waltzing with the other couples, they fit right in.

Downing yet another glass of Loch Lomond, Haddock cheered himself, "Here's to the regeneration of Torchwood Europa. May we be here when others cannot." Rosamund nudged him, "Come on, Archibald You owe me a dance. Do you want to be shown up by your daughter and son-in-law?"

"Most certainly not, it's time to show them how the older generation does things," Haddock grumbled. Standing up, he led Rosamund onto the dance. People clapped and cheered as the couple took their place amongst the other couples on the dance floor. The music swelled, and Haddock gently kissed Rosamund. As the piece ended, everyone cheered for the host and hostess. Helene and Tintin shared smiles; it was about time they kissed in public. Ianto and Jack congratulated them and asked when the wedding was. They didn't give an answer as the band began playing their next number. They all danced the night away, and when they retired everyone was most happy.

Torchwood Europa has regenerated, and love was in full bloom.


	27. Chapter 27: Scavenger Hunting

The Adventures of Tintin: The Girl and the Tesseract Machine

A Science Fiction Romance

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Happy July everyone. I know it's been a while since I have updated this story, so here is chapter 27! I still only own Helene and Rosamund. All other characters belong to Gorges Remi, Neil Gaiman, Peter Jackson, Russell T Davies, Steven Spielberg, BBC, BBC America and 20th Century.

Suggested Soundtrack: Sixth Station- Spirited Away, Kodamas- Princess Mononoke,

Force theme- John Williams

Chapter 27: Scavenger Hunting

With four different Tesseract Machines scattered throughout Europe, the real question was where the control mechanism was. Certainly, it could be any of the four but then again, why would Jorgen quote Robert Frost? Tintin thought the quote was a red herring, but with Caan uttering it before dying, there was something to it. Helene had commented that as a child, she had learned that the term 'the land of fire and ice' generally referred to Scandinavia with its black, icy forests and the annual Aurora Borealis. Tintin agreed, but this led to the question: which country were Jorgen and Dalek Caan referring to?

Haddock pointed out, "In years past, I've sailed the North Sea, and we passed Sweden once chasing down a rogue ship of Ood. Well, Rosamund, Calculus, Harkness, Ianto, Sec and I for that matter. We've got four countries that make up Scandinavia proper: Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway." Rosamund replied that it would be foolhardy to explore all four countries in small squadrons; it would be to Sakarin's advantage. Then, it clicked!

"That's it, it's not on the continent at all, and it's in Iceland! Think about it, fire and ice, volcanoes and glaciers! If you were an alien race that was fickle about the locals, what better way to destroy everything than by covering everything in lava and ice sheets," Helene exclaimed. Embracing her, Tintin spun her around in his arms and kissed her, "Snakes Helene, you really are brilliant."

Rosamund beamed, "She certainly is. By the way, how do you propose we go about doing this? Sakarin will also be searching, and it is very likely we will face an ambush."

Haddock shook his head, "We can't turn back, not now. We already have a general idea of what those blasted contraptions are for, but for what purpose Sakarin would want to use them."

Harkness pointed out Sakarin would have gathered information about them and any scavenger hunting needed to be done together. Now, the real question was where to start? Ianto suggested they try to find the one in England first. Dalek Sec replied that since the one Tintin and Helene found in Russia was located in a gold mine; maybe the one they were looking for was in a mine? This would be dangerous, even as a group. Calculus surmised, "Either way, Sakarin is waiting for us to make a move. I say we split up into small groups. We can cover more ground that way and Sakarin won't be quite sure. He is expecting us to make a move, Rosamund. The die is cast, and we must take a stand. Helene's life is at stake."

Rosamund slowly nodded, "I have dreaded facing Diedrich for many years, but now it is inevitable. Helene is full grown, and as a member of Torchwood Europa, she needs to see this mission through." She smiled at her daughter, "It's time for your mission, and this is your quest. Tintin, you and Helene need to go to England with Snowy. Haddock, Sec and I will take Iberia, Harkness, Ianto and Calculus will patrol along our side of the Iron Curtain. With any luck, we will find more information."

With the plan set in motion, everyone made plans to leave as soon as possible. Of course, Thompson and Thomson insisted on tagging along, but Haddock refused. "This is purely a family affair, and by that I mean it concerns me, Rosamund, Helene and Tintin. Mostly Rosamund and Helene as there is still the question of who Helene's biological father really is."

The Thom(p)sons agreed, and stayed in Belgium. After spending the last weeks of September and first week of October planning their courses, Tintin, Helene and Snowy left for English countryside, Haddock, Rosamund and Sec traveled to Barcelona while the others for Berlin.

Once they were in England, Helene, Tintin and Snowy trekked out to the mining towns in the English Midlands to locate the British Tesseract Machine. Interviewing locals under the guise as a travel guide, they were greeted with a mixture of disbelief and scorn. Nobody knew anything, or of they did it was about something else all together. It would be Snowy, of all people, who would find it.

On October 31, Tintin and Helene were picnicking on a sunny glade overlooking abandoned mines from the 1500's. Helene mused, "It's really to bad that we didn't find what we were looking for. Maybe, we should try Wales or Scotland next?" Snowy was sniffing along the ground when he picked up the scent of a badger! Barking excitedly, he took off down the hill followed by Helene and Tintin.

Tearing down the hill, they stopped at the entrance of one of the mines while Snowy flushed out the badger and ran down the grass covered path. "Hey, Snowy where are you going? Come back here," Tintin shouted after him. Helene followed closely behind, still skittish about entering. Fumbling for a torch, Helene turned it on as they ventured down the sloping path. "I wonder where this leads. Is it me or is it getting warmer in here," she queried softly. Tintin nodded in agreement, when Snowy barked loudly.

"Look at what I found! Old Roman soldier bones, they are delicious. Oh, and I found this odd supercomputer," the terrier announced as Tintin and Helene cautiously entered the chamber. Indeed, it was a Tesseract machine!

Tintin laughed, "Wonderful job, Snowy! It's the Tesseract Machine." Despite being covered in moss and rust, the machine sat silently as Tintin and Helene examined it for clues. Any inscriptions on it were long worn away, but what remained was a rough map. Taking a photograph, Helene stroked it fondly and activated the self destruct mechanism.

Racing away, all three made it out of the dead mine just as the ground imploded.

Landing on top of Tintin, Helene grinned, "Well, hello there." Offering him a hand, she helped him up as they made their way back to the car. Tintin asked her, "Back in Russia, there was no map on the Tesseract machine, I wonder if it was a prototype." Helene shook her head and agreed that it was possible. Driving into town, they telephoned Haddock and Rosamund with the good news. Back in the hotel room, Tintin and Helene took a look at the developed photograph. The dim image showed a large supercomputer situated inside what appeared to be some sort of underground industrial complex. Unlike this Tesseract Machine, this one had a large keyboard and a large tile doorway etched into the wall of a cliff.

"That's it then, that's the Master Control," Helene breathed softly. Tintin nodded and kissed her, all they needed to do now was to wait for the others to join them. Before leaving, Haddock said they would need to meet up somewhere before making the difficult trek north. England was chosen because of it's proximity to Belgium and the rest of Europe.

Back in the Iberian Peninsula, Haddock, Rosamund and Sec back packed through all of rural Spain trying to find the second Tesseract machine. Near the Mediterranean Sea, they had several promising leads, but these led to dead ends and trouble with the Spanish authorities as Franco was consolidating his power in the region.

Fleeing to Portugal, Haddock and Rosamund spent a few days relaxing and rekindling their romance. Dalek Sec enjoyed the vacation, and while touring Neolithic ruins in a remote fishing village, they stumbled across another Tesseract Machine. It was apparent that the government has stripped it decades before as nothing was there except for frayed electrical wires and scorched machinery. What a bust! Haddock was disappointed about it but Rosamund replied that at least Sakarin hadn't gotten there first.

Cheered up by this, Haddock told Sec as soon as their holiday was over; they were catching up with the youngsters in England. As November progressed, Haddock asked Rosamund for her hand in marriage, and she said yes. Afterwards, they joined Tintin, Helene and Snowy in England.

Meanwhile on the other side of Europe, Ianto, Jack and Calculus found the remaining two Tesseract machines. One was located in Budapest's catacombs and was found damaged beyond repair. According to their tour guide, Nazi troops destroyed it before Allied troops liberated the city. The final Tesseract machine was located in Poland, and it had been stripped down and converted into a shrine for the locals.

Now that the scavenger hunt was over, the remaining Torchwood Europa members joined the others in England to celebrate Christmas. Christmas Day was quiet and enjoyed by all. As New Years crept closer, Haddock and Rosamund began discussing their next move. At this time of year, sailing the North Sea was suicide with the lack of sunlight and freezing temperatures. They would have to wait until spring. Then, and only then, could they confront Sakarin and unravel the mysteries behind the Tesseract Machines.


End file.
